Inescapable Past
by Danish Ranger
Summary: After crossing paths with a downtrodden Amy, Shadow is caught in an ambush set by GUN, now under a new Commander following Robotnik's defeat. Marked for death, the wounded Shadow must turn to Amy for aid if he's to have any hope of survival. -ShadowxAmy
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part I

As the noontide sun beat down on Station Square, Amy Rose trudged slowly along a dirt track on the city outskirts, her gaze fixed firmly on her muddied boots; she was in no mood to enjoy this balmy weather. She'd started her day at the opposite end of the spectrum, dancing round her apartment at six in the morning (one perk of living alone at her age), but that vitality had been shortlived. With her thirteenth birthday just a month away, Amy had chosen today as the day she put her 'fangirl' ways behind her – no more stalking her hero, plying him with mock proposals of marriage – either she became Sonic's girlfriend, or moved on with her life. The omens had looked nothing but good; four months had passed since GUN brought down Dr Robotnik in the aftermath of the Black Arms invasion, but even with the civil war at an end, and the Kingdom of Acorn dissolved by Sally herself, Sonic and his estranged lover had still remained apart. If there was one lesson Amy had learned from this morning's experience, it was never to trust in the laws of logic when it came to matters of the heart.

Elsewhere on Station Square's outskirts, another hedgehog was having quite a different sort of day. Sprawled out in a patch of lush grass near a cliff edge, Shadow looked down on Station Square Bay, lazily watching sunlight dancing on the blue ocean as calm waves lapped the sandy shore. Since his climatic confrontation with Black Doom, the Ultimate Life Form had adopted an almost nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving from place to place, never settling anywhere for too long. However, he'd become something of a regular visitor to this lookout point; there was just something mightily soothing about the ambience that kept his flashbacks and other symptoms at bay. Not that they came anywhere near as frequently, now he understood the story of his origins and Professor Gerald's reasons for creating him, but in finding the answers to the questions he'd had about his past, something of a void had opened up in Shadow's life – a situation not helped by his awareness of his own immortality – these meditation sessions simply helped to keep his mind off the grim reality of his current, purposeless existence.

Continuing to follow the winding dirt track, Amy's harlequin-green eyes were eventually drawn away from her now-filthy boots by the cawing of a flock of Flickies flying overhead, making their annual journey back to their nesting grounds on Flicky Island. It was a rare sight, one few Mobians would ever witness, but right now, all Amy could feel in regard to the brightly-coloured birds was envy; envy at their ability to simply cross oceans at a moment's notice, free from all but the most basic concerns – a genuinely carefree life. Caught in her daydream, the preteen set off at a run, diverting from the dirt track as she chased the flock, indulging a childish impulse to keep sight of the Flickies for as long as she could. So engrossed was she in her pursuit, her eyes fixed upon the migrating birds, she failed to notice a large obstacle blocking her path until she collided with it, yelping in alarm as she was sent tumbling into a thicket of long grass.

Hearing the sudden yelp, Shadow was on his feet in an instant, grabbing the pistol resting beside him – he'd taken to carrying it as a 'precaution', just in case GUN renewed their interest in killing him. He stepped cautiously towards his parked motorbike, his preferred mode of transport in this post-Robotnik age. Seeing nothing untoward with the bike itself, his scarlet eyes shot to a patch of overgrown grass to the vehicle's left as he heard rustling, followed by what sounded like a muffling groan. Stepping slowly towards the thicket of vegetation, the black hedgehog had both hands on his pistol, finger poised on the trigger as Amy's head popped up.

"Amy?" blurted Shadow, dropping the gun in surprise.

"Oh, hey," said the youngster, rearranging her braided skills as best she could before putting her headband back in place.

"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Shadow, putting his gun back in the holster on his bike's saddle - he couldn't imagine Amy would've joined GUN.

"I _was _chasing Flickies," replied Amy, crawling out of the long grass.

"Flickies? You were chasing birds?" said the black hedgehog, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm a kid, sue me," said the youngster, making an attempt to clean the dust off her dress. Grumbling as the task proved impossible, she stood up straight, establishing eye contact with the Ultimate Life Form, "Where have you been recently?"

"Here and there," said Shadow, inhaling deeply as a sea breeze blew through his quills, "How are the others?"

"They're okay; Tails is at boarding school, Sally's opened a school."

"And Sonic?" asked the black hedgehog, raising an eyebrow as Amy looked away. Had he said something wrong? About to enquire as such, Shadow was cut short as the preteen dashed past him suddenly. Looking over his shoulder at what had caught the youngster's attention, he too was treated to a glimpse of the migrating Flickes as they flew towards the horizon, watched by the motionless silhouette of Amy. He imagined the look of enchantment on her face, and how similar it must have been to the one that graced Maria's features whenever she'd sat with him on Space Colony ARK's observation desk, gazing out at the distant stars and the occasional spacecraft, coming to resupply the colony.

Then, it was Amy's turn to spin around in alarm as Shadow dropped to his knees, grunting loudly and cradling his head with both hands as more familiar memories replayed themselves – he and Maria had been on the ARK observation deck when the GUN assault team's shuttle had docked – barely half an hour later, he'd been in that escape pod, hurtling towards Mobius. The Flickies forgotten, she approached as close as she dared as the black hedgehog writhed around on the floor, grunting and growling as he pressed his fingers hard against his temples, as if he were trying to bore inside his skull. After a couple more minutes, the seizure finally seemed to abate.

Amy ventured in closer, freezing as Shadow moved again, rolling onto his back, splaying out his limbs in the lush grass. Tiptoeing the rest of the way, her eyes widened at the sight of his brow suddenly glistening with sweat, his breathing somewhat hoarse.

"Shadow?" she asked in hushed tone, receiving no response as she peered down at the prostrate hedgehog, his eyes closed; was he sleeping? Kneeling down beside him, she spent several moments just looking at the Ultimate Life Form, her own worries completely overridden by concern for him. Compelled by an urge to do something more than simply observe, the preteen lifted his right hand into her lap, massaging it in a consoling manner.

Shadow's eyes shot open, and glared at the youngster. Snatching his hand away, his eyes shut once more; did he look like he wanted her pity? He'd weathered storms far worse than this in the past on his own and come out fine. Then again, at least she cared.

_SCENE_

A few hours inland from Station Square stood Metropolis City, Dr Robotnik's former stronghold. After the Black Arms invasion had been repelled, the GUN Commander had taken advantage of the doctor's weakened position and led every surviving troop he had in a siege of the city. After nearly three weeks of gruelling street battles, Metropolis was at last liberated, the great Robotnik imprisoned, and his citadel at the heart of the city demolished, the new GUN Headquarters built in its place. The old man then retired, naming as his successor one Brutus Danzarotti, a leopard who'd led the climatic assault on Eggman's citadel.

At present, the Commander was sat at his desk, gazing out his office window at the rooftops of Metropolis with his one good eye. As things stood, he was effectively the city's ruler, a significant step up from his old rank of Captain. Many influential Mobians had criticized this state of affairs, Sally Acorn saying the Guardian Unit of Nations had simply replaced one dictator for another, but as the former princess had abolished the monarchy, she like everyone else was powerless to do anything about it. Good riddance, Brutus had said. The leopard recognized that this martial law couldn't last forever, and power would eventually have to be handed to an elected mayor, but not yet. Right now, he was still trying to make his mark as something more than the old man's chosen successor, and he'd devised the perfect plan with which to do it.

"Vice Commander Hugo to see you, sir," crackled the voice of Brutus' secretary on his desk intercom.

"Enter," yelled the Commander, spinning around in his chair. He'd never understood his superiors' obsession with intercoms when their office lobbies were just a door away.

The office's wooden door opened, and in stepped a portly warthog, garbed in the dress uniform of a GUN officer, his chest adorned with a huge array of medals. As Vice Commander, Hugo was Brutus' second-in-command, a position he'd also held under the old man. Normally, a new Commander would appoint a new Vice Commander, but as the leopard was the youngest boss in the organization's history, he'd kept the warthog on for the benefit of his experience. Stopping ten paces from the desk, Hugo saluted.

"What is it, Hugo?"

"I understand you requested our agent's field reports on the tracking device, sir," said the VC.

"Do you have them?"

"Sergeant Topaz is out in the lobby, sir."

"Show her in," said Brutus.

Pressing a pager on his uniform belt, the office's door opened once again, and a slinky lioness entered, also wearing dress uniform. Stopping beside Hugo, she saluted the Commander before stepping forward to place a manila folder in front of Brutus: "The field reports, sir."

"Very good, Sergeant," remarked the leopard as he flicked through the dossier, struggling to find the information he was really interested in, "What's the tracker's success rate?"

"Our technicians report a 95% success rate in tracing the target," replied Topaz.

"Only tracing? This statement says we're able to get an exact fix on his location."

"Those are the agent's own claims. We were unable to verify them."

"Very well," sighed Brutus, passing the dossier back to the lioness, "Sergeant Topaz, you are clear to proceed with the strike. You have operational control."

"Thank you, sir," said Topaz, trying hard to suppress a smile; this would be her first operation since the old Commander's retirement. Throwing her superiors a parting salute, the lioness turned on her heel and exited.

Watching her leave, an obvious spring in her step, Hugo turned round to face Brutus: "Are we sure that's a good idea?"

"She's gotten us this far, hasn't she?" countered said the leopard. One problem he'd always had with the old man was the loyalty he placed in intelligence agents like Topaz; one reason for keeping Hugo around was the fact he shared Brutus' distrust of them.

"Yes, but there's a significant difference between gathering intelligence and coordinating an operation," the warthog retorted.

"Still, I'm inclined to give her a chance, so that's what we'll do."

Accepting he was speaking above his station, Hugo grumbled something indistinct under his breath. The truth was he was still adjusting to taking orders from someone who, a few months ago, had been taking orders from him.

"Besides, Hugo, it is only one target."

"Be that as it may, sir, might I respectfully remind you that this one target has destroyed the equivalent of three of our battalions."

"Which is why I waited until Topaz's agent had perfected the tracker," said Brutus, spinning back around in his chair to look out once more at the Metropolitan skyline. No GUN Commander had ever been without his personal nemesis, but as far as the leopard knew, the old man had been the only one to call off the hunt for his. Whatever the reason had been for abandoning his vendetta against Shadow, Brutus couldn't bring himself to regard the Ultimate Life Form as anything other than a threat.

So long as the hedgehog lived, no Mobian was truly safe, and as GUN Commander, the leopard's first duty was ensuring the planet's safety. Therefore, Shadow would have to die.


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

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Inescapable Past  
Part II

Driving through a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Metropolis City on his motorbike, Shadow grimaced. These slums were never a pleasant place to be; the air thick with pollution, the dirty streets almost deserted, save for the occasional huddle of street urchins gathering at street corners. In other words, it was one of the perfect places for one of his hideaways. Even though he was no longer a fugitive, Shadow had found it impossible to settle in any one place; the Space Colony ARK was the closest thing to a home Shadow he'd ever had, but that had been the stage for one too many traumas. Instead, he maintained a network of hideouts and safehouses throughout the planet's cities. That way, he always had a refuge nearby if ever the need arose.

Steering his motorbike across an empty intersection, Shadow crossed into one of the city's sprawling industrial districts, now the most potent reminders of Robotnik's old regime now his citadel had been levelled. The hedgehog had his hideaway in the basement of an old Badnik processing plant, probably the safest location for it in the whole city. Even now, with the one known as "Eggman" languishing in a prison cell, not even the street urchins dared go near the doctor's old haunts, lest they be mistaken for one of those who remained loyal to the deposed dictator.

_SCENE_

Having left Shadow to his own devices on the cliff overlooking Station Square Bay, Amy Rose had slunk off back to her apartment, possessed by an impulse to purge her living space of any trace of Sonic. Now, the youngster was sat in her bedroom, perched on the edge of her bed, head in hands. She wasn't crying, just...perplexed. Slumped on the floor in front of her was black bin bag, spilling over with Sonic mementoes she'd accumulated over the years: newspaper cuttings about his exploits, posters of the new band he'd formed with Mina, and tickets from their first run of shows. Up until yesterday, that damned hedgehog had been Amy's life; where was she supposed to go from here?

Find a new idol? It was an option, but who was there? Tails was too young. Knuckles was spoken for, thanks to Julie-Su. Big...well, that went without saying. Shadow? The thought had crossed her mind more than once, but she'd put that down to the same similarities had forced her to bust Sonic out of jail when Shadow first appeared. Besides, if she couldn't have the genuine article, why should she be forced to settle for an inferior lookalike. After all, the old grouch had hardly welcomed her humble efforts to comfort him back on the cliff-top.

Recognizing the path her train of thought was treading, Amy slapped herself hard across the face. Even if she was no longer blinkered by her obsession with Sonic, it was too soon to be contemplating, let alone assessing potential love interest's credentials. Less than twelve hours ago, she'd still been in love; she needed time to recuperate.

_SCENE_

As twilight descended on Metropolis City, the slums' streets emptied. Even the aforementioned street urchins made for their shelters in the ruined buildings littering the neighbourhoods, reminders of the gruelling battle GUN had fought with Robotnik for control of the city. This absence of onlookers pleased Shadow, leaving him free to indulge his only real vice in life: speed.

Gunning the engines of his motorbike, the hedgehog shot off towards the main highway out of town, the wind whipping through his quills, prompting something resembling a smile to flicker upon his lips. Whenever Shadow tried to rationalize the adrenalin rushes these high velocities gave him, he always drew a blank. In the eyes of logic, for the owner of hover-skates able to surpass Sonic in speed to be so attached to a primitive, gas-fuelled vehicle made no sense whatsoever. It was just...fun.

Slowing down as he approached an intersection, a sudden ricochet rang out that wiped the smile from Shadow's face. He glanced down to check his bike, and saw fluid spewing from a hole in his main fuel tank. Then, another ricochet. Whipped his head around to check the bike's rear, he discovered the reserve fuel tank had been perforated, too. Knowing where any good sniper would aim next, Shadow squeezed the brakes, leaping clear of the bike in time to avoid being engulfed by the ensuing fireball. Alas, the force of the explosion sent the hedgehog flying into a nearby wall.

Dazed from the impact, a prostrate Shadow watched as two grenades landed on the pavement beside him, exploding in a blinding flash of light. Staggering to his feet, he wondered how he was still alive; had the grenades been flash-bangs? He heard no ringing in his ears.

His questions were answered as he dived out the way of a hail of automatic gunfire. His hover skates should have propelled him to safety, but a bullet had caught him in the leg. The grenades had been EMPs, designed to disable any technological devices in their blast radius. For the first time in half a century, Shadow genuinely feared for his life – GUN had upped their game. Never one to accept fate, the hedgehog struggled to his feet and threw himself through the window of the nearest derelict building.

He lay sprawled on the building's concrete floor, grunting in pain from the myriad injuries he'd sustained. He disliked it, this feeling of vulnerability. Already, he was cursing his decision to leave his pistol at the hideout; how could he have let himself be wooed into a sense of such security knowing GUN was still active?

"Still alive, baby?" said a voice from behind him. Utterly bewildered, Shadow whipped his head around. There, standing in an empty doorway, was Rouge.

"How the-" started the hedgehog, but he was silenced by a wave of the bat's hand.

"Not now. Those boys will be down here pronto," she said, "Take this."

From behind her back, Rouge produced the blue Chaos Emerald. Shadow's eyes lit up. Setting it down, she kicked it across the floor. Practically pouncing on the priceless jewel, he nodded his thanks. She acknowledged it with a wink.

Chaos Control!

In another explosion of blinding white light, Shadow vanished.

"Good luck," said Rouge before making her exit.

_SCENE_

In her impromptu quest to purge her apartment of all things Sonic, Amy had moved onto her lounge. There too, the walls had once been plastered with all things fast and blue, and at present, the only thing Sonic-related to escape her cull was a group photo of the Freedom Fighters, taken years ago back in Knothole. It was a pleasant reminder of simpler times, back before she'd even known what love was.

Now, Amy was stood pondering the fate of particularly tasteful piece of Sonic memorabilia. It was an oil painting depicted the old Tornado biplane flying across a sunset, a very distinct silhouette standing on its upper wing. On one hand, it had been painted to celebrate Sonic's heroic exploits, and thus qualified as just the sort of thing she was looking to dispose of. But then again, she'd paid good money for it, and it had become one of the most famous paintings on Mobius. With that in mind-

Amy's inner discourse was interrupted by a violent banging on her front door. A little startled, the hedgehog went to investigate at once. But the fright the banging had caused was nothing compared to the shock she got as she opened the door, discovering a barely-conscious Shadow slumped against the wall outside her doorway, his body covered in cuts and bruises, a pool of blood forming under his leg, and a Chaos Emerald resting in his lap.

"Sorry to drop in like this…" was all Shadow could manage before he blacked out.

For the second time that day, Amy's mind was cleared of all things Sonic as she dragged her unexpected guest inside. For better or for worse, it was getting to be an interesting day.


	3. Part III

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

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Inescapable Past  
Part III

_6:00 AM, Metropolis City_

"You had our best snipers at your command and yet you _still _aimed for the fuel tanks first?" barked Commander Brutus Danzarotti, tossing the report on the failed strike against Shadow down on his desk in disgust. Stood the other side of the desk, garbed in her dress uniform, Sergeant Topaz answered the question with a sheepish nod.

"Well, Sergeant, this puts us in a difficult position," said the leopard, "I took a gamble giving you control of this operation, and it would appear to have not paid off."

The slender lioness winced; she didn't at all like where this was heading.

"Sir, if I may?" chimed in Vice Commander Hugo, from his seat the other side of the office.

"Go ahead," said the Commander.

"Perhaps it would be better to appoint someone more senior to oversee this operation?" said the warthog.

"Are you volunteering?" asked the leopard. Topaz suppressed a groan – did he really have to ask?

"It's been so long since the Sergeant was last out in the field. Maybe she would benefit from my experience," the VC continued,crossing the room, stopping alongside Topaz. She glanced at him out the corner of her eye; he was looking even more pompous than usual.

"Very well," said Brutus, his one good eye turning to the lioness once more.

"Sergeant, you will stay on as the Vice Commander's intelligence liaison. He is to be given full access to any documents or agents he requires," said the Commander.

"Sir," replied Topaz with a stiff salute.

"Dismissed."

The warthog and lioness gave parting salutes before turning on their heels and marching out the mahogany doors. In the office lobby, they were met by a sprightly meerkat in a black jumpsuit, the uniform of GUN helicopter pilots.

"Timo, is the command centre ready?" asked Hugo, walking out into the hallway.

"Good to go, boss," replied the meerkat, following one step behind. Topaz dropped back momentarily, exchanging farewells with the Commander's secretary before running to catch up, keeping a few paces behind the duo.

"Do we have the team I asked for?" asked Hugo.

"Every last one, boss," replied Timo.

As she listened on their conversation, it dawned on Topaz what had happened; that pot-bellied, tusk-faced bastard! The warthog had effectively already hijacked her operation – getting the Commander's consent just now had been a mere formality – the lioness clenched a paw, fighting an overwhelming urge to maul her superior.

Grudgingly, she followed the VC and his lackey into a room at the end of the hall. Inside, it was literally buzzing with technology. The floor was carpeted with wires and power cables, linking a dozen computers, manned by the best and the brightest of GUN's technical staff, to a central mainframe computer. This was where Timo took a seat.

"Sergeant, may we have the tracker?" asked Hugo, looking to the lioness.

"Of course," she replied, reaching inside her dress uniform jacket, Topaz produced what looked to be an ordinary cellphone. Pressing a few digits on the keypad, she negotiated her way across the wire-strewn floor and delivered it into the warthog's gloved hands.

"_This_ is the famous tracker?" said Hugo, furrowing his brow as he examined the device.

"Yes sir," said Topaz, suppressing a grin. She'd had similar doubts.

"How exactly does it work?" the VC enquired, looking at the device's screen. It was currently displaying a map of Station Square, with a red dot flashing just left of the centre.

"According to her report, our agent retrieved one of the original DNA samples Gerald Robotnik developed to create Project Shadow. It can somehow lock on to anything with that DNA signature."

"So this blip is Shadow?" asked Hugo, pointing to the flashing red dot.

"Yes sir," replied the lioness, trying her utmost not to sigh. How much explanation did he need?

"Good. Timo, give me an address for these coordinates," said the warthog, handing the meerkat the tracker.

"No worries, boss," said the meerkat as he set to work.

"What are we planning to do about civilians?" asked Topaz.

Hugo looked up from peering over Timo's shoulder, giving the Sergeant a look that suggested he hadn't even considered that eventuality: "Does it matter?"

The lioness' eyes widened: "Sir, GUN can't be seen to be needlessly killing civilians."

"Indeed not, but this is an unofficial operation. GUN won't be blamed," the VC countered. As Topaz stood in silence, dumbfounded by Hugo's ruthless attitude, Timo handed him a printout of the address. Skimming through it, Hugo passed it to Topaz, "Have a strike team assembled for 0800 hours to hit this address."

"We're raiding a Freedom Fighter's residence?" questioned the sergeant, reading the name Amy Rose at the top of the printout.

"Sergeant, may I remind you are here to advise me on intelligence matters, not PR. You have your orders," said Hugo firmly.

"Sir," said Topaz through gritted teeth, grudgingly giving a salute before exiting.

_SCENE_

Shadow regained consciousness with a sharp intake of breath. The pain in his leg was suddenly worse than ever. He opened his scarlet eyes, only to be blinded by the morning sunlight pouring in through the open window. Giving his eyesight a moment to adjust, the black hedgehog looked down to see Amy Rose knelt at his bedside, unwrapping a bandage that was covering his gunshot wound.

"Might want to be more careful," said Shadow, his voice low and gravelly.

"Sorry," said Amy, smiling sheepishly as she looked up.

Shadow gave a faint smile back before dropping his head back on the pillow, looking around the room. "Where am I?"

"My bedroom," replied Amy, peeling away the dressing covering Shadow's wound.

The black hedgehog groaned quietly; that much was obvious. Then again, compared to the floral patterns decorating the bed, upon which he was laying, the walls were almost bare. Not exactly how you envisaged a teenage girl's bedroom to look.

"So, how did this happen?" enquired Amy.

"Huh? Oh, GUN," replied Shadow, wincing as his hostess dabbed at his open wound with an antiseptic wipe.

"I thought you and GUN patched things up after Black Arms."

"So did I."

It was only as Amy turned away to dispense of the bloodied dressing that Shadow noticed his hostess was wearing nothing but a towel. How the hell had that escaped his notice? Whatever, such things were irrelevant anyway. The problem now was how he was going to keep his eyes _off_ her scantily-clad frame.

"Where did you learn to do this?" asked Shadow, keeping his shut in light of his sudden discovery.

"I was with the Freedom Fighters, remember? This is like the first thing Sally taught us," replied Amy as she applied a fresh dressing.

"Ever done a field dressing?" he enquired, eyelids still firmly clamped. Hours of exposure to Rouge's cleavage and he'd never so much as blushed, so why was this suddenly different?

"Nah, the war ended before I was old enough," said the pink hedgehog, wrapping a clean bandage round Shadow's thigh before falling back on her haunches. "All done."

"Thank you," said Shadow. He was reluctant to make eye contact, but it was really the only polite way to convincingly express his gratitude. But what he failed to take account of was Amy's change in posture, which now meant Shadow was able to clearly see where the towel ended and Amy's legs started.

"So, just how did you get here?" his hostess asked, seemingly unaware of the awkwardness she was causing.

"Rouge gave me that Emerald," replied Shadow, straining to keep his eyes from straying below her neckline.

"Rouge was there?"

"Yeah," murmured the black hedgehog, raising his eyes to the ceiling in relief. At last, something to distract him. And it was a valid point; just how had Rouge been able to find him?

"Err, Shadow, can I ask something?" said Amy, her voice suddenly meek.

"Yes?" said Shadow, looking up to see Amy peering shyly through her braided quills, like she had done at the cliff.

"Why did you choose _here_ to run to?"

"Because-" Shadow started, but was cut short by an explosion. The black hedgehog sighed. Less than twelve hours on and they'd already found him.

"What was that?" squeaked Amy, looking over her shoulder towards the door in alarm.

"It's GUN."

"How did they find you so quick?" she asked, but Shadow had no answer to give. His mind was on more important things.

"Amy, where's the Emerald?" asked Shadow. Amy looked back round as if to answer, but was suddenly distracted by the soft thudding of combat boots out in the hallway. Before Shadow could repeat his question, the bedroom door exploded in a shower of splintered wood, and through the lingering dust cloud emerged two black-clad GUN Commandos.

Diving across the floor, Amy swept the first intruder's legs out from under him with a low kick. Then, rising to her feet, she evaded a swing of second's shotgun butt and grasping the gun's barrel with both hands, she pulled her adversary towards her. Dropping the commando to his knees with a fierce headbutt, she detached the shotgun from its sling with another hard yank and clubbed it's wielder over the head with own gun. Doing likewise to his comrade, Amy robbed the masked intruders of their pistols before turning to face Shadow.

"The Emerald's in my kitchen safe," said Amy, tossing her patient the guns.

"Not taking one for yourself?"

"I was never a good shot," the pink hedgehog replied, stripping her fallen assailants for ammo.

"Down!" yelled Shadow, firing off three rounds as Amy hit the deck. The bullets flew unnervingly close to her ear before taking down a pair of commandoes who'd appeared at the bedroom doorway.  
"We need to move."

"Ok, one second," said Amy, scrambling over to her wardrobe. Grabbing a blue backpack, she stuffed it with clothing before returning to her bedside.

"You sure?" said Shadow, eyeing Amy's left arm which was braced across her chest in support of her towel.

She nodded. "There'll be time later."

Impressed by the absence of doubt or fear in her voice, Shadow reluctantly accepted Amy's assistance in getting to his feet. With one arm over Amy's bare shoulders and a pistol in both hands, the unlikely duo inched slowly towards the doorway, ever vigilant of the next commando team's arrival. Leaving her patient to gather up the ammo as per his instructions, Amy put her head round the singed doorway, out into the hallway.

"Not good!" the pink hedgehog squeaked, pulling back just in time to avoid a shotgun blast.

"Where's the kitchen?" asked Shadow, stuffing the looted ammunition and spare pistol into Amy's backpack.

"At the end of the hallway," said Amy, studying the black hedgehog's face for any glimmer of hope.

"Think you can repeat what you did to those two?" asked Shadow, nodding toward the unconscious commandoes who'd destroyed the door.

"I... guess so," said Amy, understandably apprehensive about whether her luck would hold with the towel.

"Then we'll need a smoke grenade," said Shadow.

"You mean this?" asked the pink hedgehog, holding up a metal cylinder clearly marked with the letters S-M-O-K-E. Shadow felt himself almost smirk.

"Right, I'll throw this, and the second I start shooting, you make your run," explained Shadow, watching his hostess' face intently. Whilst noticeably shaken, and understandably so, he could detect not a hint of the panic or dread he would've expected.

"Okay," replied Amy with a firm nod.

And so, fuelled by the same reckless determination with which he'd thrown himself through that window the day before, Shadow hurled himself into the hallway. Tossing the smoke grenade, the hedgehog fired what bullets he had left by way of covering fire as bolted past him, dashing towards the smoke cloud at a pace that would've made Sonic take notice.

As his ammunition ran dry, Shadow could only watch as his guardian angel vanished into the smog. He heard no gunfire, which was positive, but then again, even the likes of GUN weren't stupid enough to risk killing their own men. Too bad that didn't extend to bystanders, not that she counted as such anymore. Just where had she learnt to fight like that anyway? If it was all under Bunnie's tutelage back in Knothole, he'd severely underestimated the Freedom Fighters.

Staggering to his feet, Shadow limped back into the bedroom, collecting the backpack and reloading his pistol before starting on the long march... well, hobble down the hallway, to see if their gamble had paid off. He took the fact he wasn't met with a shotgun blast as a good omen, secretly hoping his covering fire had brought about the demise of the commando who'd almost deprived Amy of her head.

By now, the thick smoke had thinned to more of a light haze, and as Shadow stepped over a commando who'd seemingly been felled by a hard blow between the legs, he could hear the trooper's earpiece crackling relentlessly. No one was making contact with mission control – this boded well.

Eventually coming to the kitchen door, or rather what remained of it, Shadow tossed the backpack in first as a precaution. Seeing it land without being riddled by bullets, the wounded hedgehog ventured inside, just in time to see Amy flooring her final adversary, an unmasked lioness, with a hard elbow to the face.

"Would you mind looking away?" said Amy, standing with her back to Shadow.

"Of course," said Shadow, hastily averting his gaze. So overcome he'd been with relief to see his hostess still standing, he'd failed to notice her towel had slipped. Holding a hand over his closed eyes to reassure her, the black hedgehog collapsed into the only chair to survive the brawl that'd taken place.

"You can look again," said Amy finally. Shadow removed his hand to see the same hedgehog who'd disappeared into a cloud of smoke barely two minutes ago, save for a scattering of bruises, and the Chaos Emerald she was cradling in her arms. Slinging the backpack over his shoulder, Shadow stood up.

"Where are we going?" asked Amy, well aware of what was coming.

"You'll see," was all Shadow said in reply, wary of the prying ears of beaten but not quite unconscious commandoes. And with that, Shadow placed his hand on the Emerald.

Chaos Control!

From her position slumped on the floor, Sergeant Topaz watched as Amy and Shadow were engulfed by a blinding white light. Better luck next time, Hugo.


	4. Part IV

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part IV

Last thing Amy Rose remembered, she was standing in the trashed kitchen of her Station Square apartment, holding the hand of a wounded Shadow. Next thing she knew, she was lying in the neglected yard of some rundown house, in a neighbourhood dominated by dilapidated tower blocks. The glorious morning sun no longer hung in the sky, replaced instead by its lunar counterpart and the usual chorus of stars. Turning her head to the side, she found Shadow laying beside her, the Chaos Emerald still in his lap, his hand still clasping hers.

"Where are we?" asked the pink hedgehog.

"New Tek City," replied the black hedgehog. Amy blinked. In geographical terms, that meant they were as far away from Station Square as was physically possible. No wonder it was night.

"This dump one of your safehouses?" she queried.

"It has its uses," said Shadow, turning his head towards Amy and giving a faint smile.

"I bet," said Amy, smiling back. But as she held her companion's gaze, the pink hedgehog sensed something wasn't right. Shadow's eyelids were drooped, his blood-red eyes glazed and misty. Thing was, before GUN commandoes had blown up her front door, his vision had been fine, and even then, his aim had been unimpaired.

Sitting up, she moved to inspect his leg, and cursed. Blood was seeping from the bandage she'd applied. All that unassisted walking back in the apartment must have reopened the wound. Standing up, Amy ditched her backpack and bent down to heave Shadow off the floor. He proved to be far heavier on this occasion, a clear sign that his body was going into shock. She had to get inside and stop the bleeding, fast. If she didn't, whilst the wound wouldn't kill him, he would slip into a coma, and then it'd only be a matter of time before GUN found him.

Struggling towards the safehouse's front door, Amy kicked it off its rusted hinges when it refused to open of its own accord. Dragging the semi-conscious Shadow inside, the pink hedgehog cringed at the state of the 'interior design'; it was worse than her apartment, even after GUN's visit that morning. Lowering her de facto patient into a battered armchair, Amy dropped to her knees and rather unceremoniously tore off the blood-soaked bandage. Peeling back the similarly drenched dressing, she discovered her prognosis to be correct; crimson was practically spurting out of the circular bullet hole.

Looking around for something with which to cover the wound, Amy saw Shadow had dispensed with curtains in favour of boarding up the windows. Finding nothing to help stem the flow, it was after a moment's hesitation that Amy removed her towel and pressed it firmly against the black hedgehog's thigh. For several minutes, the pink hedgehog knelt there, hands clamped over the towel; her knees began to ache, and the cold night air coming in through the open doorway nipped at her bare body, but she stood firm until at last, the trickle of blood escaping down Shadow's leg and onto the floor finally ceased.

Her mission accomplished, Amy rested her head in Shadow's lap, understandably breathless. After a moment of silence, the sound of her patient's soft breathing reached Amy's ears. Despite how bitterly cold she now was, she couldn't help but smile. It was like when she'd grabbed onto Robotnik's airship at the EX Grand Prix, or when she'd laid flat that squad of commandoes. Despite the obvious dangers and ever-present risk of death, she'd found them naught but exhilarating. Maybe this whole adrenaline-fuelled lifestyle was for her, rather than the domestic fantasy she'd envisaged with Sonic.

Venturing out into the yard, Amy retrieved the Chaos Emerald and backpack. Leaving Shadow to rest a little longer before she spelled out what they had to do, she retreated to the bathroom upstairs to freshen up. Disposing of her bloodstained gloves, Amy sighed as she remembered the change of clothes she'd brought with her. In the heat of the moment, she hadn't considered the eventuality that there'd be more fighting to come, but now her sacked apartment was as good as off-limits, she'd just have to accept she would be fending off GUN in a scarlet dress.

Descending the rickety staircase, Amy was greeted by a conscious Shadow.

"How are you feeling?" asked the pink hedgehog, seating herself on the tattered couch opposite his armchair.

"Rhetorical question, right?" her patient replied, grunting in pain as he righted his posture.

"Look, your leg's going to need stitches," said Amy, getting straight to business. "Some morphine wouldn't hurt either."

"That might be a problem," said Shadow. Despite his fully-stocked arsenals of weaponry and gadgets, none of his safehouses or hideaways contained any medical supplies beyond rudimentary first aid kits - arrogant as it sounded, the hedgehog had simply never envisaged being in a situation where he might need them – a consequence of being known as the Ultimate Life Form his entire life.

"Well, I don't know how else to put this, but we need to get back to Station Square," said Amy.

"What, and let GUN try again at taking me out?" the black hedgehog retorted.

"C'mon, Shadow. Their headquarters are a hundred miles away, and their 'best' troops just got their asses kicked by a butt-naked twelve year-old!"

Shadow smirked; that he couldn't argue with. That said, a wounded ego hadn't stopped GUN from persisting in the past. Otherwise, they'd never have held back the Black Arms for so long.

Seeing she was dealing with the kind of stubbornness that seemed endemic in male hedgehogs, Amy got up off the couch, strode over to the battered armchair, leaned in and planted a kiss on Shadow's lips. Then, pulling away, she gazed intently into his blood-red eyes: "Shadow, you have to trust me on this."

Holding her gaze, the black hedgehog looked deeply into his guardian angel's harlequin-green eyes: "Then I guess you better get that Emerald."

Chaos Control!

Wary of any lingering GUN presence in the vicinity of Station Square, the duo teleported to where they'd met the day before. Then, leaving Shadow dozing in the battered armchair he'd somehow transported with him, Amy set off on the winding trail back towards town, en route to visit her old friend Vanilla, who had recently exchanged her picturesque cottage in the Emerald Hill for Station Square apartment.

In the wake of Robotnik's defeat, the Mobian education system had returned to life, and ever-mindful of her daughter's future, Vanilla wanted to Cream to have the best education she could. In a stroke of luck, the former Princess Sally had founded the Alicia Acorn Academy, named in honour of her mother, and the school had fast become the most prestigious institution on Mobius. Sally offered Cream free tuition, and Vanilla readily accepted. However, the rabbit's pride prevented her from accepting the same kind of charity herself.

So, in order to support herself and her daughter, Vanilla took her extensive knowledge of herbal remedies, amassed over three decades of rural living, and opened the Vanilla Clinic of Alternative Medicine. By using an independent pharmacist, Amy hoped to avoid being tracked by GUN, not that she or Shadow had any idea as to how they'd been found so easily that morning.

Turning down the street the clinic was on, Amy stopped in her tracks as she saw a figure matching the profile of Rotor emerge from the clinic, lifting a bed into the back of a pickup truck. Spurred on by curiosity, the pink hedgehog ran the rest of the way, discovering Hershey and Geoffrey St. John helping the walrus transfer his burden into the vehicle.

"I didn't know Vanilla was moving," remarked Amy, her arrival having gone unnoticed.

"Amy!" exclaimed Rotor, almost dropping the bed on Geoffrey. Dumping it in the back of the truck, he turned to face his old comrade.

"Why so surprised, guys?" asked the confused hedgehog, noting similar looks of surprise from his companions.

"We've been trying to get hold of you all morning. I stopped by your apartment earlier, but it was trashed. We were worried," replied Geoffrey.

"Why, what's going on?"

"It's Vanilla, Amy," said Rotor. "She's dying."

Amy blinked. This was going to complicate things. Considerably.


	5. Part V

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part V

_Station Square_

Numbed in every sense of the word by Rotor's bombshell regarding Vanilla, Amy accepted Hershey's offer of a ride to Station Square General Hospital. As the cat steered the limousine into the parking lot, the pink hedgehog gazed up at the looming hospital building with a palpable sense of dread. She wasn't sure what was worse; the fact a dear friend was on her deathbed, or that she couldn't help but feel that she should be getting back to Shadow.

Following Hershey's lead through the hospital reception, Amy curtsied to a passing doctor who she'd grown up with in Knothole. Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of the empty elevator, she pressed her back against the steel door as the doors rolled shut. Her eyes wondered to the elevator directory as the floor number illuminated: 'F20, ICU' – the Intensive Care Unit – Rotor wasn't exaggerating.

"When did all this start?" asked Amy.

"6:00 this morning. Me and Geoffrey brought Sally straight over," said Hershey, turning to face the pink hedgehog. Even though the Secret Service had officially disbanded when Sally abolished the monarchy, the cat and her husband had stayed on as their ex-sovereign's chauffeur and bodyguard respectively.

Jumping in surprise as the elevator's bell pinged, Amy took a deep breath before stepping out into the Intensive Care Unit's waiting room. Surveying the scene, she realized an impromptu reunion of the Knothole Freedom Fighters had taken place: Sally, Bunnie, Antoine, Elias, Big, even Espio was here. But there were some notable absences, too. No sign of any echidnas, although they couldn't exactly just pop down from the Angel Island at will. No Tails or Charmy either, both of them out at boarding school in Westopolis. But the most striking absence by far was Sonic.

"Amy!" squealed Cream from across the room, derailing the hedgehog's train of thought with a vengeance. The little rabbit came bounding across the waiting room, latching onto Amy's leg.

"Hey, sweetie," said Amy, ruffling the youngster's floppy ears.

"Where ya' been, Amy?" asked Cream, looking up at the pink hedgehog. The child's eyes were red and inflamed, no doubt from where she'd been crying. She was garbed in a white blouse and plaid skirt, her new school uniform.

"Just taking care of a few things," replied Amy, softly stroking the little rabbit's head-fur as she nuzzled her leg. Just seeing Cream in this state made the tears well in the hedgehog's eyes.

"Hey, darlin'," said Bunnie as she came over from where her and Cream had been sitting. Looking up, Amy acknowledged the recently-wedded Mrs. D'Coolette with a nod.

"So they finally found you," said Sally, coming over to join them after a brief conversation with Hershey.

"Sally, please tell me what's going on," said Amy, making eye contact with the former Princess. Noting the anxiety in the preteen's eyes, an exchange of glances led to Bunnie prizing Cream off the hedgehog's leg as the chipmunk gestured for her to follow her lead. Complying, Amy dared not look back as she walked away, scared of how the youngster might've taken her sudden departure.

Sally guided her out of the waiting room into the Intensive Care Unit proper. The constant bleeping of heart-rate monitors sent shivers down Amy's spine as they passed through wards of anesthetized patients, and she tried her utmost to avoid looking at the grave faces of relatives sitting by their loved ones' bedsides. She wasn't trying to distance herself from the grim reality of Vanilla's imminent death, but she'd endured a lot in the last 36 hours. Any other 12 year-old would've retreated into her mother's loving embrace by now, an option Robotnik had long since robbed her of.

Eventually, the two girls came to a corridor which was deserted, save for the familiar figure of Vector standing at the observation window of an isolation ward. They hurried to the crocodile's side.

"Vector, what's happened?" asked an anxious Sally. It was her understanding that the Chaotix head honcho would stay by his beloved's bedside until the end.

"Nicole told me to clear the room. She thinks she might have had a breakthrough," replied the brawny reptile. He didn't turn to look, his eyes transfixed by whatever lay beyond the observation window.

"A diagnosis?" the chipmunk queried. Vector nodded.

Peering into the isolation ward, Amy saw Vanilla lying prostrate in her hospital bed, hooked up to all manner of IVs and one of the dreaded heart-rate monitors. A rubber mask was fitted round the rabbit's mouth, attached to a life-support machine. Seeing the machine was operational, its mechanism pumping oxygen into Vanilla's lungs, the magnitude of the situation finally struck Amy. Whirling round, she threw her arms round Sally, burying her face in the nape of the chipmunk's neck. The hedgehog's shoulders quaked as she began to weep uncontrollably.

Taken by surprise, Sally quickly embraced Amy, stroking the girl's braided quills. Whispering words of comfort into the youngster's ear, she soon noticed a growing look of discomfort on Vector's face. He'd been at Vanilla's bedside since he and Espio had arrived; no doubt he was suppressing tears of his own. Taking pity on the croc, Sally began to edge the bawling hedgehog towards the door to the stairwell across the hall. Besides, she had a hunch there was something else, something more behind Amy's sudden breakdown.

Safely out of Vector's earshot, the chipmunk sat her young friend down on the nearest step. Kneeling, she took the preteen's head into her lap, and waited. In all, it took ten minutes for the flow of tears to stem. Sally eventually gave up imparting words of comfort, thinking it better to let Amy cry whatever it was out of her system in peace. She fully intended to ascertain where the hedgehog had been that morning, but only in due time.

"Sally?" said an almightily familiar voice. The former Princess looked round to see Nicole peering round a half-open door. Nodding, the chipmunk informed Amy they'd get something to eat in a few minutes before getting up and following the holographic lynx out into the ICU hallway.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you said to keep you posted," said Nicole, walking far enough to keep Vector from overhearing.

"That's okay. Vector said you may have hit a breakthrough," said Sally. The lynx nodded.

"I have. I ran Vanilla's blood sample through every medical database and I got match with a case from six years ago," explained Nicole. "Sally, its NIDS."

"NIDS?" blurted Sally. "But I thought anyone with NIDS barely made it past puberty."

"If they're born with it, but Vanilla hasn't had it her whole life. She acquired it."

"How?" queried Sally, furrowing her brow.

The lynx paused, glancing down at the floor: "That case six years ago. The patient was a rabbit."

"Vanilla's husband?" asked Sally. After a moment's hesitation, Nicole nodded.

The chipmunk's lapis-lazuli eyes involuntarily widened: "Does that mean Cream...?"

"I can't say," replied the hologram. "There's very little we know about NIDS. Most of Gerald Robotnik's data was lost years ago."

Sally nodded, grateful for the assurance: "Okay. I'm taking Amy downstairs to eat. Send Hershey if anything happens."

Nodding, the holographic lynx placed a consoling hand on her friend's shoulder, evoking a weak smile from the chipmunk. Nicole lingered a few moments longer, and then headed back to the isolation ward. Now alone, Sally took a moment to compose herself; whilst completely relevant, Nicole's revelation about Vanilla's NIDS was not welcome news. With her mother on her deathbed, custody of Cream would likely go to Sally and Bunnie, and for all the hardship and adversity she'd lived through, the former Princess wasn't quite sure how she'd cope with watching the little darling grow up, only to see her snatched away before she'd had a chance to live life.

Taking a deep breath, Sally fought back the tears. Others were depending on her. She returned to Amy, who whipped her head round in surprise at the clacking of Sally's boots on the concrete stairwell: "How're you feeling?"

"A little better," the pink hedgehog replied. Her eyes were scarlet and puffy, like Cream's had been.

"Let's go eat. We've got a lot to discuss."


	6. Part VI

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part VI

_Station Square_

In a quiet corner of Station Square General Hospital's canteen, Sally Acorn sat sipping a cup of coffee as opposite her, Amy Rose demolished yet another plate of spaghetti. The poor girl hadn't eaten since yesterday. The hedgehog's eyes were still reddened from where she'd broken down in tears upon seeing the fatally-ill Vanilla, but Sally wondered if Vanilla had been the cause of Amy's breakdown, or merely the trigger.

"So, you finally decided to ask him?" asked Sally as the pink hedgehog put down her plate. The former Princess couldn't help but smirk at the ensuing look of astonishment.

"But...how?" stuttered Amy, blindsided.

"Mina told me, before they left town," replied the chipmunk.

"Do those two still share _everything_?" sighed the pink hedgehog. She'd always thought if a guy and girl didn't get together, they'd never exchange words again. That was how Sonic and Sally had been since their break-up.

Sally nodded: "Ever since they got the new band together."

"When's the tour starting?"

"Last night, if memory serves," said the chipmunk, going to get another coffee.

Upon hearing her friend's reply, Amy was possessed by a sudden urge to bludgeon herself over the head; so _that's_ where Sonic was! After Robotnik's deposal, Mina Mongoose had expressed interest in a celebratory world tour. By some minor miracle, Mobius' premier diva had persuaded Sonic and Ash, her manager and boyfriend, to reconcile. Then, enlisting the talents of Sonic's estranged siblings; the Forget Me Knots announced their comeback tour. Perhaps it was the last-minute preparations that'd prevented her former idol from talking things out with her yesterday afternoon. Maybe.

"Right then, missy, where were you this morning?" asked Sally as she returned, interrupting Amy's pondering.

"In town, at Vanilla's pharmacy," replied Amy, caught off-guard.

"Well yeah, but that doesn't explain the bullet-riddled walls and no front door. Geoffrey told me everything."

"Has he told anyone else?" queried the pink hedgehog, trying in vain to mask a newfound anxiety.

"Tell me why he shouldn't, and we can be sure no one ever knows."

Amy squirmed uncomfortably in her seat as Sally delivered her ultimatum. She'd never been good at lying, not since claiming she was Sonic's girlfriend has gotten her abducted by Robotnik. Few childhood lessons were harder learnt. And even when she did lie, no one older than ten would be naive enough to believe her; even Big was immune. Determined to let no one she didn't totally trust know about Shadow's predicament, her only viable option was to tell Sally the truth, so she did; the whole story, from her visit to Sonic's penthouse to the chance encounter on the cliff-top, to her brush with death earlier that morning. All she omitted was her kissing of Shadow.

"So, you were heading to Vanilla's for supplies?" asked Sally.

"Before Rotor saw me, yeah," nodded Amy.

"Okay," said Sally, swilling her coffee. "Nicole might be able to help out there."

The youngster blinked in surprise: "She would do that?"

"Nicole will do anything I ask her," said Sally, smiling. "Had you thought about recruiting some help?"

Amy shook her head. Given Shadow's distrust of almost everything, she'd assumed the two of them would be on their own: "Is there anyone?"

"You saw Espio upstairs, right? He came with Vector at the crack of dawn, but he's not moved from that window since Nicole told us she wouldn't make it."

Amy bobbed her head as she listened. Espio and Shadow had history; the chameleon had been aboard ARK during the final stages of the Black Arms invasion, and it was no secret how tiresome Espio found the life of a private detective. If the prospect of reuniting with Shadow didn't sway him, perhaps the promise of some action would: "Oh, what did Nicole want earlier?"

Now it was Sally's turn to be blindsided. Like Amy with Shadow's predicament, she hadn't planned on spreading the word of Vanilla's NIDS, mainly to prevent speculation over Cream possibly having it. In light of the current situation, the little bunny deserved to be spared further upset until Nicole knew for certain: "It was about Vanilla. She's dying from NIDS."

Amy's eyes involuntarily widened, just as Sally's had done: "Does that mean-?"

"Cream? We don't know."

"Highness!" called a voice from across the canteen, disrupting the sombre exchange. Sally's head whipped to the side; it was Geoffrey. The two girls vacated their seats so quickly, it fell upon the skunk to apologize to the doctor they almost trampled on their way out the door.

Dashing headlong up the winding stairwell, Sally and Amy arrived back in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit find all Vanilla's visitors, with the exception of Espio, congregated at the observation window of Vanilla's room. To Sally's surprise, Vector was standing apart from the gaggle, sat hunched in a chair carried through from the waiting room, apparently being comforted by Rotor and Big. But then the chipmunk noticed an orderly sweeping something up as a feline in janitors' overalls put yellow hazard tape over a hole in the wall. The size of the hole seemed consistent with...Vector's fist.

"Think it's over?" whispered Amy, her voice a little shaky. Sighing, Sally nodded. All signs pointed to the conclusion that Vanilla had at last passed on.

"Sally?" murmured a voice nearby. Stood outside the door to Vanilla's room, located round the corner from the window, was Nicole beckoning for the chipmunk to follow her somewhere less public.

Shooting the lynx a nod, the former Princess pondered whether to let Amy listen in. On one hand, it could a discussion regarding what to do with Vanilla's remains, but it could just as easily be confirmation that Cream tested positive for NIDS. Wary of overloading the already-stretched preteen, Sally made her decision: "Go talk to Espio, Amy. We'll come find you in a minute."

Nodding her understanding, the pink hedgehog took an alternative route back to the ICU waiting room, unable to bear the thought of setting eyes on the late Vanilla; seeing her alive had been bad enough, and there was a limit to how long she could keep Shadow waiting. Grieving would have to wait. Arriving at the deserted waiting room, she discovered Espio leant against the wall, arms folded, gazing sullenly out the window, just as Sally had described.

"You not joining them either?" asked Amy as she approached the chameleon.

Espio looked round to see who was addressing him before looking away again: "Vector would prefer it if I didn't see him like this."

"He always was a tough guy, huh?"

The chameleon's head whipped round suddenly, his golden eyes glaring directly at the hedgehog: "Crocodiles are a very proud race. Showing their emotions in the presence of family and strangers, but in front of his brothers-in-arms, it is seen as a sign of great weakness."

"Oh, sorry..." uttered Amy sheepishly, certain she'd offended the ninja. Not the greatest note to get started on.

"Why are you out here, anyway? I was led to believe you're a friend of Vanilla's," queried Espio, his gaze drifting once again to the window.

"Well, this is mega crappy timing, but I need to ask a favour, Espio," the pink hedgehog began. "It's about Shadow."

"I'm listening."

And so, Amy proceeded to give a streamlined account of possibly the most tumultuous 24 hours of her life, making sure to filter out any details not of interest to the chameleon. She and Espio had never really been more than acquaintances. During the war, the Chaotix Crew's visits to Knothole had been few and far between, and there had seldom been cause for the ninja to speak with the boisterous little girl.

"So you've ended up playing nursemaid after the old hard nut got himself shot?" asked Espio, deftly summarising Amy's tale.

"Basically."

"Sounds priceless. I'm in."

"Thank you," said a jubilant Amy, bowing her head and curtsying to the chameleon. Rosie's lessons in court etiquette, although no longer relevant in the absence of the monarchy, had left an indelible mark.

"Amy?" called Sally, heralding her return to the waiting room. Spinning on her heel, the hedgehog went to join the former Princess, who was flanked by Hershey and Nicole.

"We put this together for you," said Nicole, placing a white duffel bag marked with a red cross at Amy's feet. She curtsied in gratitude.

"Look, I just spoke with the hospital's Chief of Staff. Hershey's going to give you two a ride in the helicopter we donated," explained Sally, running a hand through the youngster's braided quills. "And by the way, when this is all over, we'd be happy to have you at the Academy."

"Would I have to wear plaid?" asked Amy, almost wincing at the thought.

"No exceptions, I'm afraid. Even for lifesavers," replied the chipmunk, embracing the preteen hedgehog. "Now go get 'em."

Breaking the embrace, Amy Rose gave her former sovereign a parting curtsy before grabbing the duffel bag and following Hershey and Espio up to the helipad. Watching her go, Sally couldn't help smiling. After four years of waiting, she was at last getting a taste of the sort of action she'd yearned for, rather than simply helping others save the day. Amy Rose had finally blossomed.

"Did you tell her?" asked Nicole once the trio had disappeared.

"About Cream?" said Sally, turning to face the lynx.

The hologram shook her head: "No. Him."

"Don't you think she has enough on her mind?" countered the former Princess.

"If you say so," said Nicole, turning and heading back into the ICU.

Alone, Sally collapsed into the nearest chair. She was hard-pressed to think of a day during the war that had rivalled this one in terms of stress. On top of assembling the Freedom Fighters, taking turns consoling Cream, and sidelining her own grief as she comforted others, she'd had to keep Amy's spirits up whilst withholding information that could've been catastrophic for their friendship.

The reason why Sonic had been so snappy with Amy on the doorstep of his penthouse was because in his bedroom, Sally had patiently awaited his return. The night before, the St. Johns had smuggled the chipmunk in, as per the hero of Mobius' invitation, whereupon the childhood sweethearts had reconciled. Sonic and Sally were together again.


	7. Part VII

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part VII

For the second time in less than 24 hours, Shadow awoke to the blinding light of a rising sun. Giving his eyes a moment to adjust, the black hedgehog sat up in bed and glanced around, taking stock of his surroundings. He was in the upstairs bedroom of his New Tek City safehouse. The walls were covered with racks of guns, mostly gathered during the Black Arms invasion when the house had served as Shadow's main point of refuge – New Tek's remoteness from other Mobian cities made it a low priority for invaders.

Lying back down on his bed, it was only then he noticed Amy curled up beside him, sound asleep under the same blanket. Shadow smiled, glad to see his guardian angel had finally found time to rest. Given the state of his injuries at the time, the black hedgehog had only a hazy recollection of events since teleporting from Amy's apartment. Last he remembered, he'd been dozing in an armchair outside Station Square, semiconscious from blood loss, when a helicopter had roared into view. The hedgehog's grasp on his concealed pistol had only loosened once he'd seen Amy jump down from the hovering aircraft, accompanied by someone with skin a distinctly darker shade of pink.

"Morning," said Shadow as the pink hedgehog stirred, no doubt roused by the intrusive sunlight. He rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his hand.

"Hey," said Amy, yawning as she rubbed her eyes.

"Sleep well?" asked the black hedgehog

"I guess," she replied, still rubbing her eyes. She was a little surprised she'd slept at all, after the trauma of her impromptu hospital visit. "I did your leg, by the way."

Shadow blinked, noticing the absence of pain for the first time. Lifting the blanket, he saw his thigh had been freshly bandaged. A moment later, he glimpsed something that made him swiftly lower it again: "I could've sworn you were wearing clothes."

Amy giggled: "Things got a little 'messy' when we were stitching your leg. Espio's washing the dress for me."

Shadow nodded: "How did he end up here?"

"It's...kind of a long story," said Amy, nibbling her bottom lip.

"I don't see myself going anywhere," urged the black hedgehog.

Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to recount the events of her brief visit to Station Square: the encounter with Rotor outside Vanilla's pharmacy, the ensuing limousine ride, and her unexpected reunion with the Knothole Freedom Fighters. When she came to the subject of Vanilla, the pink hedgehog faltered. Tears welling in her eyes, Amy bit hard on her lower lip as she fought to keep from sobbing. Looking on, Shadow found himself compelled to place a consolatory arm around the youngster, pulling her closer as she sniffled.

"What happened to Vanilla?" he asked, pressing Amy's face to his chest.

"She died," said Amy, her harlequin-green eyes glistening with tears as she peered up at him.

Nodding, the black hedgehog pressed the preteen's face back into his white chest-fur, softly stroking her braided quills as she sobbed. He'd get his explanation from Espio instead: "Now, how about we go see how our ninja laundry-lady is getting on?"

"That'd be cool," replied the pink hedgehog, sniffling back more tears as she wiped her eyes on his brilliantly soft chest-fur. Looking down, Shadow was relieved to see the makings of a smirk on the youngster's visage. Allowing Amy a moment to compose herself, Shadow walked over to the nearest weapons rack, no longer limping thanks to the power of morphine. He reached down a pistol, in case of emergency: "Shall we?" said Amy.

Shadow turned round to find Amy wearing a new makeshift garment, this time fashioned out of the bed's blanket. It was no less revealing than the towel had been, but she seemed happy enough with it. With Shadow leading the way downstairs, the spiny duo exited the

"Still alive, then?" said Espio, prompted to look up by the creaking staircase.

"Only thanks to a certain someone," said Shadow, lowering himself into his battered armchair, unbothered by the still-damp bloodstains. Mussed fur and a bloodied bandage was a small price to pay for the comfort it afforded him.

"I'll say," said the chameleon, giving Amy an acknowledging nod as she came to perch on the battered chair's armrest.

"What've you been doing?" asked Amy, noticing a selection of knives spread out on the coffee table situated between the armchair and sofa.

"Improvising," replied Espio, holding up the whetstone upon which he'd been sharpening the blades he'd looted from the safehouse's kitchen. He'd sooner have brought his own trusty shuriken along, but Shadow's condition had allowed time for the helicopter to stop by Chaotix HQ.

"Tell me, how _did _she talk you into this?" asked Shadow, placing his pistol on the coffee table.

Espio chuckled: "She told me the mighty Shadow, self-proclaimed Ultimate Life Form, was somehow in mortal danger. Figured it'd be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I signed up."

"That simple, huh?" said Shadow dryly. It was nice to see someone's sense of humour intact.

"You'd be surprised what too many suspicious husbands can drive you to."

Amy smirked: Sally had been right about the detective thing. Allowing her gaze to wander, she caught sight of her dress draped over one of the wooden boards covering the windows, drying in the sun. Looking back to Espio with a view to thanking him, she stopped short as she spied a red dot hovering on the chameleon's golden horn: "Espio!"

Last thing Amy saw was the sofa's middle cushion explode in a cloud of feathers before Shadow pushed her clean off the armrest. Landing hard on her back, the youngster paused as she glanced back and forth between the safehouse's front door and black hedgehog beckoning furiously for her to join him behind the armchair. If memory served, GUN commandoes were liable to come rushing in any second. Better she was in a position where she could go some good, especially with Espio's survival in question. Sacrificing modesty in favour of freedom of movement, Amy discarded the blanket as she inched her way across the living room.

Seeing Amy had other ideas, Shadow's mind turned retrieving his pistol as the sniper fire continued to lay waste to the living room furniture. Counting the seconds between shots, the hedgehog dived out from behind the armchair, snatching his firearm off the coffee table before it was reduced to splinters by the next gunshot. Utilizing his hover skates to escape the sniper's crosshairs, Shadow had no time to try and ascertain the fate of Espio. What reason could GUN have targeting his allies first? Probably the same one that'd seen his motorbike made a target before _he _was.

Meanwhile, Amy was in position, stood with her back pressed against the wall, poised to ambush the commandoes the very second they entered. It was only as the sniper's bombardment ceased that she noticed the door's hinges; in her current position, any forced entry would result in the hedgehog being crushed. Hurriedly rectifying the problem, she was suddenly struck by a beam of light that launched her across the room.

Watching as the youngster's limp body crashed into the living room's back wall, Shadow broke cover, levelling his pistol at the front door as he moved to shield the fallen Amy from any follow-up attack. As he'd expected, the door exploded, tossing up a cloud of dust and splinters, but as the first intruder emerged through the haze, Shadow's finger hesitated on the trigger. The intruder was no GUN commando. It was Emerl.

Shaking off his initial shock, Shadow duly opened fire, looking on despairingly as the bullets pinged harmlessly off the Gizoid's steely hide. Unfazed by the gunshots, Emerl stood his ground until at last a dull click signalled the end of Shadow's salvo. His bulbous blue orbs illuminating, the robot leaned forward before descending into a headlong charge towards the black hedgehog. However, Shadow stood his ground, fearing that if he did, Amy would be trampled as the Gizoid overran. Dropping his pistol, he closed his eyes and braced for impact, but it never came. Opening his eyes, he saw Emerl lying prostrate amongst the remnants his battered armchair.

"She still breathing?" asked Espio as he materialized in front of the hedgehog.

Pressing two fingers to her neck, sighing with relief as he noted a pulse: "She's alive."

"Then get her upstairs," said the chameleon, cracking his knuckles as he moved to engage the upright Gizoid. Meanwhile, taking Espio's advice, Shadow took Amy in his arms and fired his hover skates. In a flash, they were back in the bedroom. There, he laid the pink hedgehog upon the bed, looking around in vain for something with which to cover her. Alas, he'd never been one of curtains.

Taking solace in the fact his guardian angel was safe for the time being, Shadow went to help Espio in his ongoing brawl against Emerl, but midway across the bedroom, he was knocked off his feet by some unseen force. Lying flat on his back, he looked up to see a pair of glowing magenta eyes glaring down at him, as around, a dark figure materialized. Rolling over to avoid an axe kick, the floored Shadow watched as the floorboards cracked under his assailant's heel. Punching out at the newcomer's ankle, the black hedgehog seized the opportunity to scoot back a safe distance and hopefully get a better look at this ally of Emerl's.

Retreating instinctively in the direction of Amy's bedside, Shadow got to his feet and looked over his opponent. They were evidently female, as denoted by the shape of the figure's chest, emphasized no end by her form-hugging bodysuit. The outfit was resemblant of a GUN commando's tactical wear, but any chances of her being a GUN operative were dispelled by the horned shape of their helmet, not to mention the silver bangles around her wrist. Like Emerl, there was no way of telling who they were working for. The sniper implied GUN involvement, but there were other hotshots on Mobius.

Such thoughts were set aside as his opponent, now back on her feet, brandished a pair of short swords. Shadow glanced over his shoulder, at the katana he'd acquired during the Black Arms invasion, stowed above his bedroom's window for ornamental purposes. Keeping his eyes fixed on his assailant, the hedgehog carefully stepped over the unconscious Amy as he retrieved the sword. Pulling it from its sheath, Shadow clasped the hilt with both hands, holding the blade out in front of him. In what could've been construed as an attempt to distract her opponent, his assailant removed her helmet, allowing a head of peach dreadlocks to drape down to her shoulders.

Whether it was or wasn't, it worked regardless. As Shadow was left wondering if he was fighting a resurrected Tikal, the unmasked echidna seized the initiative, forcing the hedgehog into a series of defensive parries as she unleashed a flurry of cuts and thrusts as she spun in circles. Eventually she relented, but not before they'd reached the other side of the room. In the brief moment of respite, Shadow snatched a pistol off the wall-mounted weapons rack. Given the point-blank range, there was no way he should've missed, but the hedgehog was left questioning his own marksmanship as the echidna dodged every bullet in a series of cartwheels and back-flips.

Again separated, the two combatants stared each other down as they closed in on each other. In the background, the muffled thumps and crashes of Espio and Emerl could still be heard. Shadow afforded himself a smirk; what a sucker the chameleon had been to volunteer for this. Then, egged on by a sudden twinge in his wounded thigh, Shadow went on the offensive, swinging his katana in a downward arc. Normally, such a move would've cleaved a blade and anyone wielding it in two, but the echidna's short swords somehow endured the impact.

With Shadow knocked off-balance by her successful block, it was unnervingly simple for his opponent to circle round and slice across the backs of his knees. Any effects of the morphine now null and void, the black hedgehog roared out in pain as he landed hard on his knees. Wincing as the echidna nicked his wrist to force the katana from his hand, Shadow was left with his head bowed in defeat, clasping his bleeding arm as he felt the cold steel of his opponent's short swords come to rest on both his shoulders.

So, this was how six decades of constant struggle would end; through decapitation at the hands of someone he knew neither the name nor loyalties of. Presumably she was in GUN's employ, but given her resemblance to Tikal, he would've liked to have known more. Though in a way, he was somewhat relieved. At least this way, Amy wouldn't have to die as Maria had done - protecting him.

"I must say, I expected better," said the echidna as her grip on her blades tightened.

"Don't you _fucking_ dare!" yelled Amy, pressing a pistol against the back of the would-be executioner's head. The echidna froze, her blades still tensed against Shadow's neck.

"Shade, stand down," called a voice suddenly, seemingly from downstairs. As the sound of the creaking staircase confirmed that someone was coming, three heads turned as one towards the bedroom door as Jet stepped in.

"How did you know?" asked Shade, immediately sheathing her swords. Meanwhile, Amy dropped the pistol into Shadow's lap as she knelt behind him; partly to preserve her modesty, but mainly to wrap her arms around her apparent protector.

"Fang's been watching the whole thing," said the hawk, pointing to a red dot hovering on the echidna's chest.

"And he didn't think to help?"

"You know that's not how we do business," said Jet, beckoning for Shade to come away from the two hedgehogs, for her own safety as much as anything. As she did so, the hawk's blue eyes turned to Amy and Shadow. "I think I owe you an apology."

"Might be understating that," growled Amy, glaring at Jet as if looks could kill.

Jet smirked: "Rouge neglected to mention you'd acquired, err, 'bodyguards'."

"Wait, you thought it'd take a sniper, Emerl _and_ a ninja to take out Shadow?" blurted Amy.

"I'm a businessman, kid, I like to be thorough. If I'd known you and Espio were in on this, I would've called out Destructix."

"I'm flattered," muttered Shadow, starting to feel the effects of blood loss once again.

"Anyway, you have my apologies. It's nothing personal, but if knew how bad your last brush with GUN was for our profits, you'd understand," explained the hawk, ushering Shade out the door.

"Whatever," said the black hedgehog

"And Fang says to put some clothes on the girl. She's a little young," said Jet, narrowly escaping with his life as Shadow made use of the gun Amy had used to threaten Shade.

"We deserved that one," they heard Jet tell Fang over the com-link as he descended the staircase.

"Do you not mind people seeing you or something?" queried Shadow, peering up his guardian angel in whose lap his head was resting.

The pink hedgehog giggled: "Only when there's more important stuff happening."

"Still, would you mind? Fang _does _have a point."

"Yeah, but I trust you," said Amy, smiling as she leaned in to engage the Ultimate Life Form in a kiss. She'd patch him up in a minute.


	8. Part VIII

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part VIII

Midday in New Tek City, and the clouds had rolled in; situated in the opposite hemisphere to Station Square, the local climate was making the damp and oftentimes icy transition from autumn to winter. This boded ill for the occupants of Shadow's safehouse, which now lacked most of its doors and windows in the wake of the raid by Jet's squad of assassins, not that Amy Rose had had time to ponder these new circumstances just yet. The youngster was back on nurse detail already, treating and dressing the wounds Shadow had sustained in his swordfight with the mysterious Shade. They were nowhere as severe as his gunshot wound, but it was unlikely he'd be walking unsupported for some time.

Meanwhile, Shadow lay in silence, his mind distracted by other things; specifically, something Jet had said about Rouge's failure to mention he had Amy and Espio with him. He had heard stories of how the hawk had risen to the pinnacle of the Mobian business world, empowered by the riches the Rogues had acquired after the EX Grand Prix – for the kid, the whole 'hired killer' thing was just his twisted idea of fun – the real question was, who'd paid Jet and his posse? With her personal fortune, composed of mainly of stolen jewels, and her past links to GUN, Rouge was an unsettlingly plausible suspect.

The only factor working against Shadow's theory was two days ago in Metropolis City, when she'd saved his life after GUN's ambush by kicking him the Chaos Emerald he'd been getting around with. He couldn't deny he would be dead if wasn't for her, but for all he knew, it was just Rouge's way of clearing her conscience, paying him back for the time he saved her from GUN's island base. If she were the mastermind of this vendetta, it would've made more sense to have killed him then, but the bat had always enjoyed a good chase; just look at her history with Knuckles, although Julie-Su had since put a stop to that.

"Still breathing, are we?" said Espio, appearing in the bedroom's doorway. The interruption took Shadow by surprise, who'd been so deep in thought, he hadn't even heard the stairs creak.

"More or less," replied Amy, turning her attention to the cut on her patient's wrist.

"Where've you been?" asked the black hedgehog. They hadn't seen the chameleon since Jet's departure.

"Sifting through debris – bad news I'm afraid," said Espio, holding up the tattered remains of Amy's red dress. It'd been draped across one of the wooden boards covering the lounge's windows when one of Fang's bullets had blasted through it.

"I know where we can get some more," said the pink hedgehog, looking over her shoulder and simply shrugging.

"Very well," said the chameleon, glad he'd stopped short of offering to repair it for her. His golden eyes turned to the prostrate hedgehog: "Do we have any plans on relocating?"

"Why?" asked Shadow, flinching as Amy applied the antiseptic.

"Our position's been comprised, it'll be damn cold without a front door, and Amy's the only one who's not injured," replied Espio, pointing out the myriad scrapes and bruises he'd picked up in his fight with Emerl.

"If I thought it would make the blindest bit of difference," said the black hedgehog. "But they've got some way of tracking me wherever I go."

"You sure it's not that Emerald they're tracking?" said Espio.

"If it was, would you suggest we walk to the next hideaway?" countered Shadow wryly.

"Just a thought," said the chameleon, raising his hands in mock-surrender. Helping himself to a handful of band-aids from the medical bag, he turned to leave: "I'll be downstairs."

"Think he's gone to sulk?" asked Amy, finishing the dressing.

Shadow smirked: "I doubt it. Moving somewhere else would be a perfectly logical move."

"But logic went out the window when my front door blew up?"

"Precisely," said her patient, sitting up. "So, where are these new clothes coming from?"

"Sally's opened a school in Station Square. I figure she'd let me take a uniform or something."

"You're enrolled?"

Amy shook her head: "Not yet, anyway. Sally offered me a place while I was at the hospital. Once this is all over, that is."

"Think you might take her up on it?"

"I don't know," said the youngster, shrugging.

"Well, I think you should," said Shadow, brushing a stray braided quill out of her eyes.

"Really?" queried Amy, looking up at him in surprise, but before they could say any more, a loud thump resonated from downstairs. The preteen's harlequin-green eyes glanced towards the door, then back at Shadow: "Think that was Espio?"

"Only one way to find out," said the black hedgehog, pulling a pistol out from under his pillow; a strictly temporary measure, he hoped. Deactivating the safety, he placed it in his guardian angel's hands. Although the noise could quite easily have been their ninja companion moving some furniture, he wasn't taking any chances – another intruder had managed to get the drop on Espio, Amy's martial arts would be next to useless.

Giving Shadow a firm nod, the pink hedgehog took to her feet, clasping the firearm in both hands as she proceeded towards the door, blowing her bedbound friend a kiss before walking slowly towards the stairs and out of sight. Lying flat on his back once more, the Ultimate Life Form took a deep breath to calm his nerves and listened intently. For anything.

"Still alive, baby?" uttered a voice from across the room, prompting Shadow to sit bolt upright, his blood-red eyes wide open. Rouge was sat perched on his windowsill, a gleaming steel revolver in her hand. She was dressed differently from usual, her oft-flaunted bust completely covered by a black jumpsuit and trenchcoat.

"Why, you here to finish me off?"

"Excuse me?" said the bat, furrowing her brow.

"You hired Jet and his posse, no?"

"Ah, he told you," said Rouge, putting down her revolver. "There is _slightly_ more to it than that."

"Like what?"

"I've been keeping you alive."

"With the Emerald?"

"Amongst other things."

"Such as?"

"Do you really a professional sniper would waste three shots on immobilizing you when he had a clear headshot?" asked the bat.

"Didn't Fang just do that?" countered Shadow.

"We aren't sure why he was gunning for Espio either," she conceded, "But my point is, Topaz was the one who took out your bike."

"And Topaz is...?"

"My GUN liaison, and the officer leading the operation to take you out at the time."

"She sabotaged her own operation?"

"She has her reasons."

"Like her friendship to you?"

"Hardly. She just misses her old boss."

"Wait, the old man's stepped down?"

Rouge nodded: "Why else do you think GUN would be after you again?"

"They've always been a bit erratic like that," replied Shadow, shrugging. "Anyway, how have they been finding us so quickly?"

"Us, huh?" smirked Rouge as she reached into her trenchcoat, pulling out what looked like a cellphone from her trenchcoat and tossing it to the hedgehog. The device's screen displayed a map of New Tek City, with a red dot flashing in the map's northwest, marking the exact location of the safehouse.

"How the hell does this work?" asked Shadow, his eyes widened in alarm.

"Well, GUN thinks it's programmed to locate anything with your DNA signature," replied the bat, slipping off the windowsill and walking towards where Amy had stowed the Chaos Emerald, "But it's really just one of the Emerald trackers Tails developed."

"And how did GUN get ahold of this?"

"Well, don't shoot me for it," said Rouge, turning to face her unexpected host, "But I gave it to them."

"And why the hell did you do that?" growled Shadow, suddenly regretting sending Amy off with the pistol from under his pillow.

"Because if I hadn't, I would probably be dead by now," she replied, meeting Shadow's burning glare with a look of defiance.

"I always thought you were the old man's pet agent."

"That's just it. The old man quit the minute we had Robotnik in custody; the new kid's got something against intelligence agents."

"Can you blame him?" remarked the hedgehog, throwing her the Emerald locator. He saw no reason to hold onto it.

"Yeah, well, I still saved your life," said Rouge, pocketing the device, "Things are out of our hands now anyway; the impatient little bastard's taking the reins."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning you have to settle this ridiculous feud before he sends the entire organization out looking for you."

"I guess that would be inconvenient for you," said Shadow, provoking a malevolent glance from the bat as she rummaged inside her trenchcoat. Producing a folded scrap of paper, she threw the hedgehog it.

"Go there. It's where I've been hiding Omega," said Rouge.

"He survived the purges?" asked the hedgehog, unfolding the scrap of paper to reveal a section of a map of the Emerald Hill, a particular spot circled with black marker.

"Barely; an old friend's been fixing him up," she replied, returning to her point of entry. Hoisting herself onto the windowsill, Rouge looked back at him: "We'd best be going. Good luck, babe."

"Drop dead," muttered Shadow, showing the bat his middle finger as she took flight. Suddenly remembering Amy's absence, he breathed a Herculean sigh of relief at the sound of the stairs creaking. A moment later, his guardian angel appeared at the bedroom door, still clothed but without the pistol.

"What just happened?" asked the youngster, sitting down beside Shadow.

"Rouge's idea of a social call," he replied. "What about you?"

"Standing against a wall with a gun to my head," said Amy. "I think they had whiskers."

"Well, you're still breathing at least. Is Espio?"

The pink hedgehog nodded: "Just tranquilized is all. Still unconscious, though."

"Shame, we're relocating in a few hours," said Shadow, showing her the map.

"I think that's where Tails' workshop used to be."

"Glad someone knows where we're going," said the black hedgehog. "We'll stop by that school on the way."

"Wait, you know that means you'll have to meet Sally, right?"

Shadow shrugged: "Well, if they're anything like you, what have I got to worry about?"


	9. Part IX

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part IX

In a leafy suburb of Station Square, a chiming bell pierced the quiet morning air, signalling the start of another day at the Alicia Acorn Academy. For the principal Sally Acorn, it was business as usual, despite yesterday's tragedy – alas, Vanilla hadn't quite garnered the level of recognition that would justify closing the school for the day – her students' parents paid a lot of money for the tuition she provided. She had of course given Cream the day off, to give her chance to adjust to her new living arrangements as much as anything. Upon leaving the hospital last night, Sally and Bunnie had agreed it would be better for the newly-orphaned rabbit to move in with the D'Coolettes; not only was Bunnie's schedule far less hectic, but it was felt her and Antoine's uptown apartment was closer to the modest surroundings Cream was used to, compared to Sally's newly-built mansion on the city outskirts.

With Hershey and Geoffrey helping Rotor close up Vanilla's pharmacy, and Nicole busy making the arrangements for their departed friend's funeral, Sally had to drive herself to work for once. It was first time she'd driven her own limousine, which was specially armoured to protect the former Princess from attacks by Robotnik loyalists. Such a fate had befallen her elder brother Elias, who still lay in a coma in a Westopolis hospital; one less person to whom the chipmunk could turn in troubled times, and by God did she need someone right now. Unsurprisingly, she hadn't slept much last night, and in her restless state, her first impulse had been to call Sonic, which was a non-starter at the moment. The hedgehog would've either been onstage or partying until dawn, as was habit with her lover nowadays. Alright for some.

Climbing the steps of the Academy's palatial main building, built to resemble old Castle Acorn, Sally navigated her way between huddles of chattering students en route to her office. All were decked out in school uniform, which brought her mind back to Cream. Sally had decided she would only excuse the child from lessons until the day after her mother's burial; the former Princess knew better than most that the best way to recover from a loss as heavy as that of one's parents was to get back in the saddle as quickly as possible. She realized some of her old comrades might think the decision a little draconian, but she had the benefit of experience on her side, having been of similar age to the rabbit when she herself was orphaned.

Arriving at the door marked 'Principal' by a brass plaque, Sally breathed a small sigh of relief; she could finally drop the faint smile. Entering her office lobby, the chipmunk got the surprise of her life as she discovered Espio sitting behind the secretary's desk normally reserved for Nicole.

"Good morning, Miss Acorn," said the chameleon with a wry smile.

"I imagine there's an explanation behind this," said Sally, decidedly unamused.

"In due time," said Espio. "How's Vector doing?"

"Can't honestly say. Hasn't put his fist through any more walls, though," she replied. "He's staying in one of my guestrooms for the moment. Big's volunteered to watch him."

"Thank you," said the chameleon. The news was a load off his mind. "Care to take peep inside your office?"

Raising an eyebrow, Sally cautiously approached the door of her office proper. She paused momentarily as the glint of a Chaos Emerald resting on a row of filing cabinets caught her eye; at least she wouldn't have to worry about any broken windows. Pushing open the door, which was already ajar, she was met with the sight of Shadow and Amy entwined in one another's embrace, fast asleep in the leatherback chair behind her desk. Well, at least _someone_ was sleeping okay. Deciding against waking the pair prematurely, she stepped back out into lobby and turned to face Espio once again: "So, about that explanation."

"What do you want to know?"

"Why you felt compelled to take shelter in a school of all places," said Sally, sitting down in the chair on the opposite side of the secretary's desk. As if it wasn't blindingly obvious.

"We'd gotten into a few scrapes, the kid's short on clothes, and Shadow's place in New Tek isn't really up to dealing with the cold anymore."

"Amy's short on clothes? She was dressed fine when you left yesterday."

"Well yes, but Shadow's blood and a sniper sort of conspired against us on that one."

"So she's been running round naked?"

"Pretty much."

"Ok then," said Sally, frowning as she realized the truth behind the blanket she'd seen covering Amy; she and Shadow were going to have words.

"Was there anything else?" asked Espio. The chipmunk shook her head.

"That should about cover it for now," she said, gazing up at the clock hanging on the wall behind the chameleon. 7:59 it read: any second now...

Right on cue, the deafening cacophony of bells ringing throughout the school sounded. Barely a minute later, Amy appeared at the half-open office door. Her face lit up upon seeing Sally: "Hey!"

The pink hedgehog scooted over to embrace her friend, taking care to ensure her makeshift garment didn't quit on her again. Returning the hug, Sally pressed the youngster's head against her shoulder, softly stroking her braided quills. She cringed as she felt how knotted they'd become: "How're you doing, sweetie?"

"Cold," replied Amy, stepping out of the embrace. She wasn't exactly in need of being patronized at the moment.

"I can see why," said Sally. "Espio tells me you thought I could help out with that."

"Well, I was wondering if I could kinda' pick up that school uniform early?"

"I guess it couldn't hurt. Go out that door and to the other end of the hallway, then knock on the door marked 'Vice Principal'. Rosie will see you right," said the chipmunk, smirking as the youngster dashed out the door. Did that mean she'd decided to take her up on her offer? She hoped so, but there were more pressing matters to deal with at the moment, for both of them.

"I suppose you'll be wanting a chat with old hard-nut," said Espio, once Amy was out of earshot.

"How did you guess?" queried Sally, raising an eyebrow. Not that he was wrong, of course.

"Call it a hunch," said the chameleon. "Might want to do it before kiddo gets back."

Seeing the logic behind Espio's suggestion, the Academy principal stepped into her office proper, her lapis-lazuli eyes fixed upon the wounded hedgehog in her chair. He was evidently still waking up, but she frankly couldn't care less: "Shadow is it?"

Still groggy from his sudden awakening, Shadow rubbed his eyes before looking up to meet Sally's gaze: "Yeah?"

"There a reason that child's been running round naked?" asked the chipmunk, in the stern manner normally reserved for misbehaving pupils.

"Need there be?" replied the black hedgehog, totally miffed by the sudden question.

"Just strikes me as a little odd is all; a young girl who's just had her heart broken suddenly gets caught up in your latest feud with GUN, disappears for three days with someone who's a dead ringer for her first love, and now she turns up wrapped in _nothing_ but a blanket."

"Whatever you're thinking, think again," growled Shadow, glaring indignantly at his apparent accuser.

"Really?" said Sally.

"Yes, really," interjected Espio, materializing beside her. "For god's sakes, woman, if I'd known what the little 'chat' was going to be about I would never have you left alone with him. I agree he's a shady bastard you'd think twice about trusting, but he's not _totally_ devoid of morals."

"Thanks for that..." murmured Shadow through clenched teeth, shooting his companion a scornful glance.

"Don't mention it," said the chameleon, quietly making his exit. The hedgehog clearly had something to say.

Meanwhile, the former Princess had been rendered speechless, as much by the shock of Espio's sudden appearance as by his staunch defence of Shadow. Being humbled in such a manner was not something the chipmunk was used to; before now, only Bunnie had ever squared up to her like that. Sitting down in the chair normally reserved for wayward students (which felt oddly appropriate), she looked up as she noticed the Ultimate Life Form's blood-red eyes gazing at her.

"I guess it looks a bit... off, but really, there's _nothing_ going on between Amy and I," said Shadow. Not strictly true, but nothing to the extent Sally was inferring. "Young or not, the girl's saved my life three times in as many days. Heartbroken or not, I would never think of taking advantage of her after what she's done for me."

"And there I was thinking openness just wasn't in your vocabulary," remarked Sally.

"_This_ was an ambush," countered the hedgehog. It wasn't that openness was beyond his capabilities, he just didn't trust easily, and it wasn't like Sally had given him much reason to rethink that position.

Before the chipmunk could respond, they were interrupted again by Espio, telling them time was up. Moments later, Amy appeared in the office's doorway, garbed in her new uniform. It consisted of a white blouse, red necktie, black and white plaid skirt, and a green blazer with the image of a golden acorn, formerly the official crest of the Acorn Dynasty and now the Academy's logo, woven into the blazer's left breast-pocket. The younger students were spared the tie and blazer, but as a seventh grader in age, she'd be entering the Upper School if she enrolled. Rosie had even provided her with a pair of white socks and brown penny loafers.

"Better?" asked Shadow.

"Much," replied the pink hedgehog, walking over to rejoin her patient. It wasn't the most comfortable of outfits, but they were clothes nonetheless. Watching the hedgehogs as the youngster helped the wounded Shadow out of his chair, she smiled to herself. Whatever the bond was that'd blossomed between them, it was clearly one based on mutual trust - she'd been hasty in her deductions - but what could she say; the girl was like a sister to her.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Espio, provoking unamused glances from Sally and Shadow as he approached the desk with the Chaos Emerald under his arm. "But we'd be advised to get moving."

Nodding in agreement, Amy's harlequin-green eyes looked to Sally: "Thanks for the uniform, Sal. This should all be over before the next semester starts."

"Whenever you're ready," said the chipmunk, giving the youngster a warm smile. This news that Amy would be enrolling would likely help in coaxing Cream back to school if she resisted once Vanilla's funeral was over with. Having heard through Sonic what this thing called Chaos Control involved, Sally retreated to the far side of the room as Espio transferred custody of the Emerald to Shadow's free arm.

Blowing the trio a kiss, she raised her hand in farewell as the black hedgehog yelled the magic words and the trio were engulfed by the blinding white light. As they vanished, an ensuing gust of wind blew every last piece of paperwork off her desk; revenge for the earlier ambush, perhaps? Fair enough, Sally decided, she deserved it. Negotiating her way across the paper-strewn floor, she slumped into her leatherback chair, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. It was unbelievably comfortable. Now if only she could fall asleep in it.

Reaching inside her blue denim vest, she produced her cellphone, going through her brimming digital phonebook until finally locating Sonic's number. Whether the hog was asleep or hung-over, she cared not – she _needed_ to talk.


	10. Part X

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part X

It was a sunny morning in the Emerald Hill, and the area's grassy plains were living up to their name. Beneath one of the lonely trees scattered amongst the rolling landscape, Shadow sat with his back against the sturdy trunk, taking one last respite before resuming his quest; he was certain this was the last chance he'd get. Meanwhile, Amy had taken up Espio on his offer of a quick sparring session, to help her adjust to fighting in her new outfit, the school uniform Sally had provided. Watching the two exchange blows, the black hedgehog was still staggered by the youngster's grasp of martial arts.

Reaching for the backpack they were transporting his guns in, Shadow pulled out the scrap of paper Rouge had given him in New Tek, marking the location where Omega was supposedly waiting for them. Last time he'd seen the robot was during the Black Arms invasion, before he'd left for Space Colony ARK. Afterward, he'd simply disappeared. Word was that after they secured Metropolis City from Robotnik, GUN put out an order to destroy any and all robotic technology manufactured by the good doctor. A wiser man would've taken advantage of Omega's vendetta against all things Robotnik, but as he'd demonstrated throughout the Black Arms invasion, the old Commander was no shrewd tactician. So, provided Rouge wasn't in fact leading them into some elaborate trap, they were likely to have one pissed-off robot on their side, which might help make their impending raid on GUN's HQ less of a suicide mission.

"I see modesty still isn't a major priority," remarked Espio as Amy struck him with a roundhouse kick to the jaw.

"Hey, at least I'm wearing underwear again," said the pink hedgehog, smoothing out her pleated skirt. The chameleon shrugged, conceding the point. He had to admit, it did make things a little less awkward.

"Go easy on him, Amy," interjected Shadow. "Unless you plan on using a gun, we're going to need him."

"Thanks for your concern," said Espio, massaging his jaw.

"Don't mention it," murmured the hedgehog as he reached a pistol out of the backpack; it was time to move. Reading the signal loud and clear, Amy came to over help Shadow off his feet. Lacking any expertise with ranged weapons, she'd become her patient's designated crutch. Slinging the backpack and medical bag over her shoulder, she placed her burden's arm around her neck, gave him a peck on the cheek and gave Espio the nod.

With no perceivable threats in the vicinity, the trio walked at a leisurely pace across the grasslands towards a prominent mound a few hundred yards away. As the only elevated land for miles around, there was no doubt it was the entrance to this underground base. Amy had said something about it maybe being one of Tails' old workshops, abandoned since following his departure to boarding school in Westopolis. Whilst only a theory, it made more sense than it being one of Robotnik's old haunts; what with his ambitions of global conquest, the good doctor had only ever regarded the Mobian countryside as a source of fresh manpower.

"I don't suppose you know the secret password?" said Espio as they arrived at the entrance to the base. Before them stood a pair of hulking iron blast-doors, coated with rust. They'd clearly been here for years, but still impenetrable to all but the most powerful explosives.

"Don't think 'open sesame' is gonna' cut it," said Amy, gazing hopelessly at this new obstacle. She suggested maybe trying to teleport inside, but Shadow overruled, explaining that if he didn't have a clear mental image of his destination, he ran the risk of teleporting inside a wall, which pretty much spelt instant death.

"Could try knocking," said Shadow, to compensate for the downer.

"Best we've got," said Espio, stepping up to the blast doors and banging his fist against one three times. To the trio's amazement, the air was suddenly filled with the terrible creaking of rusted metal grinding against itself as the doors parted, just far enough for the trio to get through.

"Anyone want to go first?" asked the chameleon, rolling his eyes as both hedgehogs' eyes converged on him. Nabbing a pistol from Amy's backpack, the chameleon squeezed through the narrow gap in the doors, stalking cautiously into the darkness beyond. After a few paces, he disappeared from sight. Genuinely nervous for the first time since this saga began, Amy inched towards the breach, her grip on Shadow's shoulder involuntarily tightening.

"I'm right here, kid," uttered the black hedgehog quietly, sensing the youngster's anxiety. Turning to look at her patient, Amy leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Shadow's lips.

"Just for luck," she said, flashing a sweet smile before starting to maneuver her way inside the base. Thanks to the darkness, she was prevented from seeing the genuine smile of contentment on Shadow's face. As they proceeded deeper into the cavernous hangar, Amy's eyes darted left and right as she heard brief but constant echoes of what sounded like footsteps. She couldn't decide whether it was Espio, a mysterious other, or just her imagination.

"Omega, god-lights!" yelled a voice suddenly, startling the youngster so badly she lost her balance, tumbling to the floor, taking Shadow down with her. A moment later, a wall of light bulbs lit up the base's far wall, blinding the fallen hedgehogs.

"That should do it," shouted the same voice, and the so-called 'god-lights' turned off, replaced by far dimmer overhead lamps. Sitting up, Amy corrected her upturned skirt before turning to Shadow, her vision still a little blurry: "You two ok down there?"

The pink hedgehog looked round, expecting to see Espio, but she in for the surprise of her life. Standing over the duo, dressed in bright orange coveralls with a submachine-gun in her hands, was her old friend Tekno: "_You_?"

"Nice to see you too," the canary smirked, offering Amy a hand up. Her patient momentarily forgotten, the youngster accepted, her face still a portrait of complete bemusement. "Wanna' go talk?"

Nodding, Amy left Shadow in Espio's charge as she followed Tekno's lead across the spacious hangar, her head still reeling from the shock. She hadn't seen the canary in five years, not since the attack by badniks on their secluded woodland village, from which the seven-year-old hedgehog was the only survivor. After a week or so wondering in the Great Forest, she was discovered on the brink of death somewhere near Knothole. Her saviour? None other than Sonic.

"So what happened to you after the attack?" asked Amy as they arrived what she assumed was the base's control room. The huge monitor displaying an image of the base's entrance was a pretty big hint

"Turns out it was my father Robotnik was after," replied Tekno, sitting down on a sleeping bag laid out on the concrete floor – she'd been sleeping here a while.

"What was he working on?" asked the hedgehog, sitting down opposite. The canary's father had always been quite the inventor – rumour had it he was descended from the legendary Babylonians.

"Aero technology, converts oxygen into energy instantly; it's how the Rogues power their Extreme Gear."

"Did your father agree to work for him, then?"

"Not exactly – dad refused, but I knew you everything he did – I'd been helping him out since he started."

"You mean _you_ helped Buttnik with this Aero thing?"

"I was seven, my parents had guns to their heads, and I pretty sure all my friends were dead."

Amy nodded her understanding: "Did your parents survive?"

"Well, he didn't shoot them, tossed them in jail instead. They starved when a fleet of supply trucks headed for their detention facility was attacked by the resistance."

"Oh..." said Amy, biting her lower lip. She remembered trying in vain to convince Sally to let her go on that mission. "So, uh, how've you wound up here?"

"Rouge got me out right before GUN moved on Metropolis."

"How did you two meet?"

"I working in Robotnik's special weapons lab, and she was a double-agent. I think she took pity on me or something."

"Well, she's not totally heartless."

"I'll say. She's been keeping me alive down here."

"You're _hiding_ down here?"

"Pretty much - GUN has a price out on my head – I'm a fugitive, basically."

"So _you're_ Rouge's technician?"

Tekno nodded, explaining how the trackers that'd been the root cause of all Shadow and Amy's problems had been her creation, adapted from a prototype made by Tails. Amy warned her it was probably best not to share that little gem with Shadow whilst there were guns around.

Meanwhile, Shadow and Omega were having their own reunion of sorts, establishing just where the robot had been for the last five months; nothing when compared to five years, but Shadow's list of friends was about a tenth the size of his guardian angel's. Anyway, it turned out the robot had been down here for the most part, undergoing repairs after a run-in with a GUN special ops unit had left him quite literally in pieces. Given Tekno's limited resources, she hadn't been able to restore all his weapon systems, but his Gatling guns still worked well enough. Aside from that brief conversation, most of the time was given over to perusing the hoard of weapons Rouge and Tekno had somehow amassed, neatly laid out on a row of workbenches in the hangar. Some of the gear was so state-of-the-art, it annoyed Shadow he wasn't in any shape to use anything past a pistol.

"I see you've broken out the toys," remarked Tekno as they rejoined the guys.

"Just where have you been getting this stuff?" queried the black hedgehog, holding up an assault rifle he knew for a fact had only gone into production last month.

"Rouge claims its all through Topaz, but I suspect a little foul play," replied Tekno.

"I thought as much," said Shadow, propping himself up by leaning against Omega.

"Tell me, are using these likely to give us any sort of edge against the troopers?" asked Espio, running his finger along the barrel of a shotgun.

"That your way of asking is it worth ditching those circus knives?" Shadow chimed in.

"Just been doing some basic math – that GUN garrison is likely to be at least 300 strong – I figure we're going to need all the help we can get, especially if we're targeting the Commander."

"Speaking of which, do we even know how we're going to _find_ the Commander?" queried Amy.

"Luckily Rouge already thought of that," answered Tekno. "Omega, if you will."

On cue, a panel on Omega's torso moved downward, revealing a lens that projected a holographic image of GUN's HQ building and surrounding compound. This tech was a little something Tekno had added whilst reassembling the robot. The canary proceeded to explain that if the Commander was on-site, he would almost invariably be in his office located near the top of the building, and that the best way to access it would be to teleport onto the rooftop helipad and fight their way down.

"It's logical enough, but we're going to need a diversion of some kind," remarked Shadow, gazing intently at the holographic. "Like Espio said, we're going to be outnumbered twenty to one at the _very_ least."

"And your solution would be...?" asked Tekno.

"Drop Omega in the centre of the compound, and _then_ teleport up to the helipad," replied the black hedgehog. "They'll be far more inclined to commit the majority of their forces to dealing with a killer robot compared to a cripple and two preteen girls...Amy, do you think Sally would mind lending us a second uniform?"

"Uh, I guess so," said the pink hedgehog, a little miffed by the question. "Why?"

"Because if Captain Invisible there doesn't get to them first, it might help keep you and your friend just a little bit safer; GUN's troopers are a hardened bunch, but even they're going to hesitate on the trigger if they see a schoolgirl in their crosshairs."

"Makes perfect sense to me," said Tekno almost immediately. The logic was hard to fault.

"Good, we'll do that now. The rest of you decide on your weapons; we leave as soon as we're ready."

"Yes, boss," said Espio, throwing the hedgehog a mock salute as Amy went to where she'd dumped the bags. Preferring to risk his legs than get engaged in another round of sparring, Shadow limped after the pink hedgehog, flipping the chameleon his middle finger.

"Are you two always this catty?" asked Tekno once the hedgehogs were out of earshot.

"It's been an interesting couple of days," replied Espio, turning his attention back to the firearms.


	11. Part XI

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part XI

For the headquarters of an organization as powerful and influential as GUN, its Metropolis City compound was a surprisingly modest affair. Built within the same walls that Robotnik's citadel had once occupied, the compound was little more than a networks of hangars and barracks, all built around a solitary, concrete skyscraper, which housed the organization's offices. In contrast with the previous tenant, there wasn't a GUN logo in sight, but for the flag flying atop the skyscraper, overlooking the rooftop helipad. At present, a detachment of troopers was assembled at the edge of the helipad, awaiting the return of Vice Commander Hugo from an operation in New Tek City. At the head of the detachment stood the imposing figure of Colonel Helmut von Stryker, GUN Chief of Staff and the organization's third-in-command.

Formerly a resident of Angel Island, the dingo had been forced to abandon his homeland after an unsuccessful campaign of conquest against the reclusive echidna tribes. Exiled with his surviving troops to the arid wastes of the Sandopolis desert, Stryker had spent his days fighting the remnants of the Dark Legion for what little food and water the desert had to offer. That was until one day when a GUN helicopter landed in the dingoes' encampment, and out had stepped Commander Danzarotti. Newly appointed to his post, and with a newly-liberated city to police and his ranks decimated by two consecutive conflicts, the leopard was in a real bind. Hence why he'd come to Stryker; defeated troops they may have been, but he was in desperate need of new manpower, and the dingoes had grown weary of the nomadic lifestyle they'd been forced to adopt, so Helmut signed up, and here he was.

Eventually, the helicopter touched down, and the first onto the tarmac was the portly VC Hugo, followed by the spindly meerkat Timo. Approaching the warthog and his lackey, Stryker gave a quick salute before telling him to report immediately to Danzarotti. Muttering something scathing about canines under his breath, the Vice Commander took his leave, escorted by the detachment of troopers. This left the Colonel alone with Sergeant Topaz as she disembarked the chopper.

"How was New Tek, Sergeant?" asked the dingo as he approached the lioness.

"Cold, sir," replied Topaz, promptly standing to attention and saluting.

"Would that explain the look on old Porky's face?" said Stryker, gesturing for his subordinate to stand easy.

"It hasn't been his finest hour the last few days, sir."

"Of that I'm aware," said the hound, turning his back to the lioness. "Now if you'll follow me."

Nodding, Topaz followed her superior's lead, walking the endless labyrinth of stairwells and corridors down to the Chief of Staff's office. Along the way, many a passing trooper stopped to salute the feline who, garbed in her black dress uniform, wore more medals and ribbons than would ever be expected of a Sergeant. It just went to show how much she'd accomplished in her time with the Unit, despite being only 25. Not that she was particularly disappointed to have not been promoted further just yet; the limited responsibility of her rank enabled her to better carry out her task as Rouge's handler, a connection that had been pivotal to her meteoric rise.

"I suppose you're wondering why I invited you here," said Stryker as they at last arrived at his office.

"Well you are my boss, sir," said Topaz, waiting for the Colonel to seat himself behind his desk before sitting down herself.

"For now perhaps, but that takes us quite nicely to the reason why you're here."

"Do tell, sir," said the lioness.

"When we received your report of this latest operation's failure, the Commander and I spent a long time in his office discussing certain things, and, to cut the crap for your benefit, we concluded it was a mistake to keep Hugo on as Vice Commander when the old man left."

"But I understood Hugo was kept on at the old man's recommendation, sir."

"Indeed, though it turns out that story was circulated so the men would think he had the old man's support if anything happened to Danzarotti."

"And he's being fired for that?"

"No, that would be for spending five million Mobian dollars in advance on a team of assassins who failed to accomplish their objectives," said Stryker. "But anyway, the point is Hugo's being retired and the Commander would like to offer you his job; how about it?"

"Sir, yes, sir," replied Topaz, practically leaping to her feet, standing bolt upright as she gave the Colonel a firm salute.

"You won't be doing that much longer," said the dingo, standing and extending a paw across the desk for the lioness to shake. "Ma'am."

_SCENE_

It was noon in Station Square, and Sally was starting to miss Nicole; not just for the pleasure of her company, but for her secretarial work as well. An hour and half she'd been off the phone, and she was still only halfway through the day's mail. On a brighter note, at least she'd gotten to talk to Sonic, who'd actually been awake prior to his phone ringing; something to do with an impromptu studio session with Manic and Sonia, to record a song for their mother's birthday. Seizing this opportunity to offload, she spilled her guts to the hedgehog about everything, starting with Vanilla's passing and the looming question mark over Cream having NIDS, and then about Amy's vanishing acts. She'd dwelt longest on the subject of not telling Amy about her and Sonic's reconciliation, about which she'd been feeling horribly guilty. However, her lover had done something to alleviate that guilt, reasoning that any private disclosure would soon enough become public, and it would eventually transform into a storm of unwanted media attention for both them and the youngster. It seemed fair enough.

Opening yet another letter asking if the Alicia Acorn Academy offered scholarships of any sort, Sally's attention was suddenly caught by a burst of white light, shining through the pane of frosted glass on her office door. Were they done already? Standing, the chipmunk opened the door to find Amy with her uniform still in pristine condition, and still supporting the hunched Shadow: "Done already?"

"Not quite," said the black hedgehog as Amy helped him onto a leather couch where misbehaving pupils normally waited for their appointment with the principal.

"We need to ask another favour," said the youngster, turning to look at Sally. "Could we get another uniform?"

"Who for? Espio?" queried the chipmunk. The pink hedgehog smirked as she shook her head.

"It's for Tekno, that old friend I used to talk about. Turns out she was in Robotnik's dungeons all along," said Amy. She wasn't about to tell anyone the truth of Tekno's captivity.

"Glad to hear it. Give me a few minutes," said Sally, taking her leave. Nodding her thanks, Amy turned to Shadow, gazing intently at her patient; there was a question about this plan with the school uniforms she simply had to ask.

"Shadow, are you sure dressing us in plaid is going to make a difference?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"I hate to say it, but it's not like Maria's youth protected her."

"She wasn't wearing plaid."

"You know what I mean," said Amy, gleaning from the lack of a second rebuttal that she'd struck some kind of nerve. Shadow looked away, gazing down at the floor. The youngster sat down beside him, tentatively placing an arm round him, and resting her head on his shoulder. In stark contrast to their encounter on the cliff, the black hedgehog made no effort to shrug off this obvious show of pity.

"I thought it might be worth a try," muttered Shadow eventually, breaking the prolonged silence. "Most of the bastards on that assault team are dead and buried by now."

"At least you'll be armed this time," said Amy, nestling closer to her companion. "And so will we."

Silence reigned once more, neither hedgehog uttering another word until Sally returned, bearing the requested uniform. Before they noticed her, she caught a glimpse of Amy consoling Shadow, and at once almost regretting having confronted him like she did a few hours earlier.

"Here you go, kids," said the chipmunk, holding it out once Amy had helped her burden back to his feet. Taking it, both hedgehogs were taken by surprise as Sally embraced them simultaneously, placing kisses on both their cheeks: "Be careful, for Mobius' sake."

"We'll try our best," said Amy, smiling at the former Princess as she backed away, not wanting to watch them lay waste to the lobby like they had done her office. Waving to the duo, she closed her office door just as Shadow yelled his magic words. By god, she hoped they'd be alright.

_SCENE_

In the hedgehogs' absence, Espio and Tekno had been making good on Shadow's instructions to be ready to leave as soon as possible. Having settled on a pump-action shotgun for his own use, Espio was now in the process of gathering together enough ammunition and grenades to fight a small war. Meanwhile, Tekno was busy preparing Omega for his first combat situation since his rebuild, welding on extra armour plates wherever necessary, and stocking the robot with as much ammo as was safe. A bone of contention had even formed between the two, in the form of discussion as to what the most effective way of opening any stubborn doors would be. Schooled in the art of sneaking, Espio was adept with all manner of lock-picks, and probably thanks to Rouge, Tekno had a fair few. However, the canary advocated a far less fiddly solution, namely C4. With a lot of things to do and not very long in which to do them, they'd both agreed to let Shadow have the final say.

Still uncertain about teleporting underground, Shadow and Amy materialized outside the base and entered via the open hangar doors. The black hedgehog left it to his guardian angel to announce their return: "We're back!"

Putting down her welding torch, Tekno came dashing over, still in her bright orange coveralls: "Successful?"

"Sure was," said Amy, holding up the uniform on its hanger. Expressing her thanks, and ran off to the control room to change.

"If you're not busy, we could use your input on something," said Espio as he came over. Getting the nod from Shadow, he led the hedgehogs to the row of workbenches where the armoury was laid out.

"So, what it is?" asked the black hedgehog.

"What would your preferred way of opening doors be?" asked Espio, holding a lock-pick in one hand and a C4 charge in the other. As Shadow pondered, Amy did some thinking of her own; the lock-picking was easily the most impractical, considering how time-consuming they were, but whilst quick, C4 brought the question of collateral damage into the question, and seeing as they were mostly going to be fighting in a confined space, C4 was just as likely to toast one of them as any door they might encounter. There had to another way. Giving Espio custody of Shadow, the youngster ran over towards Omega, where Tekno kept her toolkit.

"Her Highness have any more stern words?" asked Espio in the preteen's absence.

"No, I think you convinced her," replied Shadow, but further talk was curtailed by the sight of Amy returning with a sledgehammer in her hands.

"Surely this would be more efficient," said the youngster. Both the guys simply nodded their agreement as the pink hedgehog added the hammer to the pile of gun magazines Espio had made. Soon after, Tekno reappeared, garbed in the full uniform besides the penny loafers, which she'd replaced with combat boots. Hopefully they wouldn't kill the illusion. In her hands, she was carrying some peculiar contraption, along with a pouch of some kind.

"Remember this?" she asked Amy, handing her the contraption. Turning the gun-shaped object over in her hands, the preteen's eyes widened as it dawned on her what it was. Back in their village, the canary's father had been a prolific inventor, and it looked as if Tekno had inherited some of that technical wizardry when, aged six, she produced from her father's spare parts a type of one-handed crossbow, ostensibly to shoot down hard-to-reach fruit in the surrounding Great Forest. When it came to testing it, Tekno had been quite frankly useless, but Amy had proved to be a natural. What she held in her hands was an enlarged, more refined version, and the pouch was in fact a quiver of arrows.

"How long have you been working on this?" asked Amy, attaching the quiver to her skirt's waistband.

"About four years, on and off. Whenever I got the chance, really," replied the canary, picking out her gun of choice, an MP5, and to Espio's surprise, a rocket launcher, which she slung over her back.

"Are you really going to need that?" asked the chameleon as he transferred custody of Shadow back to Amy.

"Omega's got no missiles, and I don't know if those bullets will be strong enough for the BIGFOOT mechs," said Tekno.

"What're you planning to do? Join him for the diversion?" queried Espio as he loaded Amy's trusty backpack, which Shadow had volunteered to carry, with the spare ammo and sledgehammer.

"Look, so long as she carries it, it's fine," interjected the black hedgehog.

"Have it your way," said the ninja, helping Amy put the backpack on their wounded companion, "Is Omega ready?"

"As best he can be," replied the canary.

"Then let's get to it," said Espio, cocking his shotgun.


	12. Part XII

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of Shadow the Hedgehog or Amy Rose (not that'd I want to…)

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part XII

n the sector of GUN's Metropolis HQ where the organization's heavy machinery was kept, a siren blared, alerting passers-by the main hangar's doors were opening. Seated in his usual cockpit, Felix Caruso, a black panther, guided his BIGFOOT mech through the open doors and towards the base's innermost entry checkpoint, where he'd be standing guard for the next 12 hours. Once upon a time, Caruso would've headed a trio of BIGFOOT pilots on sentry duty, but after the battle for Metropolis City ersus Robotnik reduced GUN's fleet of mecha from 200 to a mere 50, Felix was left with only the footsoldiers for company. Hopefully it wouldn't be just dingoes on this occasion – the hounds were topnotch soldiers, but severely lacking in charm.

Crossing the base's parade ground, Caruso steered his BIGFOOT between lines of parked pick-up trucks and armoured vehicles, throwing a salute as he passed the statue of the retired Commander that marked the 'official' entrance to the base proper. Then, reaching the perimeter gate he'd be guarding, the only opening in the chain-link fence that encircled the base's grounds.

"BIGFOOT #17 reporting for sentry duty," said Felix into his cockpit's comlink, broadcasting to the checkpoint's supervising officer.

"Just on time. That you, Felix?" came the officer's crackly reply, eliciting a sigh of relief from the panther. The voice belonged to Captain O'Donnell, a decorated BIGFOOT pilot and formerly a mentor to Felix when he first joined the Mecha Pilot Corps.

"O'Donnell? I thought they transferred you to the security hub," said Caruso as the gate opened and he moved his mech through, stopping after just a few paces. Ahead of him lay a straight tarmac road, concrete walls stood either side of it – this was the only way of accessing the base by land.

"They did, but I had the Colonel transfer me back out," replied O'Donnell over the comlink, waving to his old friend from his place in the watchtower standing just beside the gate.

"Dingoes stinking the place out that badly," chuckled the panther, opening the cockpit's windshield to wave back.

"Might want to mind that talk out here," murmured the Captain over the comlink, directing Caruso's eyes towards two machine-gun emplacements set up a little further up the road. Both were manned by dingoes.

"Roger that, sir," said Felix, lowering the windshield, just to be safe, "So, how's life in the-"

Caruso was cut off as a sudden explosion of light overwhelmed the BIGFOOT's sensors. Shifting them to thermal-mode, his sensors detected five more heat signatures than on their last sweep. About to relay this information to O'Donnell, he was cut short by a yell of shock from the Captain's end, followed by a gunshot. His eyes widening, Felix's paw moved to activate the mech's weapon systems as a hail of bullets punched through the cockpit windshield, depriving GUN of yet another trained pilot.

"Target neutralized," whirred Omega, turning around to deal with the dingoes occupying the machine-gun turrets.

"Good luck, Omega!" Tekno called out from the watchtower as Espio requisitioned O'Donnell's radio. Meanwhile, Amy opened the perimeter gate for the robot.

"Good luck, friends," he whirred in reply, the ensuing flash of light signalling his comrades' departure. Stomping forward into the grounds of the base, Omega paused as he came to the statue of the old Commander. Levelling his Gatling guns at it, he opened fire, reducing the stone colossus to a heap of rubble. His revenge had begun.

_SCENE_

Up in the skyscraper stood at the centre of the base, soon-to-be ex-Vice Commander Hugo was sat in Commander Danzarotti's office, listening to his superior read out the contents of his retirement package as both officers heard the crackle of gunfire. A moment later, the phone on the Commander's desk rang. Whilst the leopard answered, the portly warthog got up from his seat, going to the window and looking out to see a plume of smoke rising from down in the parade ground; details were hard to make out from fifty storeys up.

"What the hell's happening?" asked Hugo, spinning on his heel as the Commander put his phone down, leaving off the usual "sir" now he'd been fired.

"It would appear we're under attack. Intruder's been identified as Robotnik's E-123 Omega."

"Omega? I thought we destroyed that thing."

"So did I."

"Will you be going to the Ops Centre?"

"No, this will be in Colonel von Stryker's hands," said the leopard, leaning back in his chair.

"Excuse me?" asked the warthog as he sat back down.

"When the headquarters is under attack, its protocol for the Commander to remain on lockdown until the situation's under control," replied Brutus.

"So the dingo's been promoted?" questioned Hugo, making no effort to hide his contempt of the idea.

"Not quite, but your successor with him."

"Surely you don't mean..."

"Yes. Sergeant Topaz," said the Commander, glaring at the dumbfounded warthog with his one good eye, "I've changed my mind about these intelligence types."

_SCENE_

Having safely reached the skyscraper's rooftop helipad, Espio had insisted the rest of the infiltration party keep their heads down whilst he scouted ahead on his own. He wasn't overly fond of playing devil's advocate, but the fact of the matter was, whilst Omega's gambit had probably diverted the attention of most personnel within the base, they couldn't guarantee there wouldn't still be guards lingering in the corridors, and the chameleon knew for sure that if they got into a shootout in a hallway, they were screwed. Fortunately, the ninja had thought ahead, noting down the whereabouts of the base's security hub as gathered together ammunition. If he just could get inside the hub, he'd be able to guide Shadow and the girls to the Commander's office without a shot being fired.

Creeping through the corridors of the top floor in search of an elevator, Espio sighed at the sheer number of security cameras scattered around the walls – thanks to his shotgun, a necessary evil if he was going to secure the hub, he was unable to turn invisible effectively – he just had to hope security were too distracted by Omega. Finally finding an elevator, the chameleon pressed the 'call' button, spending the tensest thirty seconds of his life waiting for it to ping. As the doors rolled open, he backed into it, pressing the button for Floor 44 before swatting the solitary camera looking down on him. Watching intently as the numbers on the elevator's digital screen counted down from 70, Espio punched the Emergency Stop button as the screen displayed 44.

Escaping the confines of the elevator through the roof escape hatch, the chameleon resisted the urge to peer down at the elevator shaft's depths as he looked for a way into the 44th Floor's air ventilation system. Locating a vent, Espio smashed at the grate with his shotgun's butt, scrambling into the air duct once the hole was wide enough. Pausing once inside, the ninja slung his weapon over his shoulder as he dredged his memory for the sequence of directions he'd memorized when studying the skyscraper's schematics. Reciting the directions to himself as he crawled along, the chameleon eventually found himself looking in on the security hub, albeit through the slats of another air vent cover.

Squinting so as to see as much as he could through the grate, which he couldn't remove without sacrificing the element of surprise, he took stock of the room's basic layout. The back wall was bare, save for a set of steel blast-doors, and the wall opposite was covered from floor to ceiling with security monitors – no wonder they hadn't spotted him. The hub's floorspace was dominated by two rows of three steel desks equipped with computers, separated by a central walkway leading from the blast-doors to a seventh desk situated just in front of the wall of monitors. This seventh desk possessed a larger screen than the others, and from what Espio could tell, it was currently displaying images of the destruction Omega was leaving in his wake as he rampaged through the base's grounds. Listening in on what the seventh desk's occupant was saying into his headset, the chameleon identified him as the hub's supervising officer, and thus, his priority target.

Retrieving a kunai, a knifelike shuriken, from inside his boot, Espio set about unscrewing the air vent grate, any noise he made drowned out by the hum of the operators' computer. Removing the vent cover, Espio suddenly regretted not borrowing Tekno's MP5 as looked down the shotgun's sights at the seven people he would sadly have to kill. From his current vantage point, the first trio of operators were easy targets, but their colleagues across the walkway were well out of the shotgun's range, as was the supervising officer. Making a slapdash revision to his original strategy, the chameleon practically launched himself out of the air duct.

Landing on the middle desk of the nearest row of consoles, Espio kicked the desk's occupant hard in the face, dispatching the operators in front and behind with his shotgun before discarding the cumbersome firearm, rendering himself invisible as he dropped down behind the desk. Hearing the supervising officer trying to make contact with the troops trying to contain Omega, the chameleon helped himself to his first victim's combat knife, springing up and hurling the blade towards the seventh desk, promptly ducking to avoid a volley of bullets. Realizing these were no normal techies, Espio stole his first victim's sidearm, breaking cover to crawl round to the desk in front, requisitioning a second pistol from the fallen operator there. Then, in an uncharacteristically brash act, the chameleon sprang up from behind the front desk, opening fire with both guns, relying on muzzle flashes to illuminate his targets in the dimly-lit room. As two dull clicks spelled the end of his barrage, Espio saw he was the last man standing. Phew.

Tossing the pistols aside, the chameleon walked over to the seventh desk, muttering an apology to the late supervising officer as he moved the body out of the chair and stole his headset. Putting it on, Espio sat down at the computer, resetting the headset's transmitter to the frequency of the radio he'd grabbed from the checkpoint watchtower.

"Infiltration team, this is Espio, do you copy?" said the ninja into the mouthpiece, punching a series of codes and overrides into the computer.

"Reading you loud and clear," came Tekno's reply.

"Shadow holding up okay?" enquired the chameleon as he was granted access to the Personnel Mainframe. It wasn't a security program as such, but it gave him access to digital blueprints of every floor in the skyscraper, with every personnel member logged as on-duty marked by red dots, thanks to microchips implanted inn their ID cards.

"Still alive. Amy give him that last morphine shot," said the canary.

"Good, now listen carefully."

_SCENE_

With the air still thick with the racket of Omega's Gatling guns as he laid waste to GUN's vehicles, Colonel Helmut von Stryker sprinted across the open stretch of tarmac between the skyscraper and support vehicle storage hangars. He'd been in his office when the alarm was raised, taking Sergeant Topaz through her new duties as GUN Vice Commander; the dingo had set off the second he put the phone down, but descending forty floors on foot was no quick task. The lioness followed behind him, as quickly as the infernal pencil skirt on her dress uniform would permit – once she was sworn in as VC, she'd make damn sure to make the dress uniforms unisex – since when had soldiers even worn skirts, anyway?

Reaching the main hangar unscathed, the same one Felix Caruso had departed barely half an hour ago, Stryker and Topaz were swamped by a throng of panicked troopers, bombarding the officers with a flurry of questions about the situation. Unable to hear himself think, the Chief of Staff unholstered his pistol, raised it above his head and fired, restoring some semblance of order as the gunshot resounded across the expansive hangar.

"Soldiers, stand to attention!" barked the dingo. Within moments, the two hundred or so troopers scattered throughout the hangar assembled into eight reasonably straight ranks, "Who gave the order to rally here?"

"That would be me, sir," said another dingo, raising his paw as he stepped forward. He was Captain Warrigal, GUN's most senior dingo officer besides the Colonel.

"Your report, Captain?"

As Warrigal told Stryker of how regular bullets were useless against Omega's armour plating, and how they'd now lost all communication with the security hub, Topaz hung back, awed by the Colonel's handling of the situation. She had to wonder; had Danzarotti made the right choice for Vice Commander?

As Warrigal finished speaking, Stryker took a moment's pause to ponder his plan of action before promptly dispensing his orders: "Captain, mobilize as many BIGFOOT and HOTSHOT mecha as you can and try to hold Omega at the parade ground. Sergeant Topaz and I shall encircle him from the other side."

"With what, sir?" asked the confused Captain.

"That's classified, but you'll see," said the Colonel, stifling a grin as Warrigal spun on his heel and began relaying his orders – they hadn't won yet. Turning around, he rejoined Topaz, "Follow me, ma'am."

_SCENE_

Under Espio's guidance, what remained of the infiltration team was making steady progress through the skyscraper's upper floors. With Tekno leading, taking directions from the chameleon via the radio he'd nabbed, Shadow had ended up with the canary's rocket launcher on his back, in addition to ammo backpack and sledgehammer, making him all but dependant on Amy just to stay upright. As they walked along, the pink hedgehog made sure to periodically glance over her shoulder, finger poised on the trigger of her crossbow.

"Someone's twitchy," murmured Shadow as Amy looked around again.

"Just making sure," said the youngster, keeping her voice down as well.

"Your friend seems to trust it."

"Call me paranoid, but now we've come this far, I'd rather not get shot in the back thanks to some faulty software," said Amy, eliciting a smirk from her fellow hedgehog; it looked like his distrust of all things GUN had rubbed off. Then again, having endured two or three brushes with death in the last few days, she was entitled to be a little cautious.

_SCENE_

Having 'altered' her pencil skirt with the help of a well-manicured claw, Topaz had a much easier time keeping up with Colonel von Stryker as he ran, leading them to the sector of the base furthest away from the parade ground. In the background, they could hear the constant chatter of gunfire, punctuated by the occasional explosion – she hoped they were from the mecha's missiles, though one or two were bound to be the mecha themselves exploding – this place Stryker was taking her two had better be worthwhile. At last, they reached their destination, and Topaz stopped in her tracks as she realized where he'd brought her; the Research & Development Facility, where the organization's technicians developed and tested new armaments. Suddenly, the Sergeant could see why the dingo had kept so calm.

Pressing his paw against a scanner, the blast doors covering the R&D Facility's entrance parted. Hurriedly following her superior inside, Topaz was surprised to find Stryker stood facing her.

"Take this and grab an EMP crate from the armoury down the way, then meet me through there," said the Colonel, handing her a card key before disappearing through a set of double doors which seemingly led outside. Proceeding down the empty corridor the dingo had gestured towards, she swiped the card key in the first scanner she came to, opening the door beside it to reveal a room filled with shelves and weapon racks, stacked with all manner of hi-tech hardware Topaz couldn't even begin to comprehend.

Locating the crate of EMPs, the grenades she'd used to disable Shadow's hover skates during the ambush in which she'd destroyed his bike, she heaved the small but hefty black box onto her shoulder. Leaving the armoury, the lioness couldn't help but wonder what Stryker was planning as she ambled down the corridor; Warrigal's detachment couldn't hold out for long, and even with EMP grenades, they still had to shift the crate to other side of the base. Stumbling through the double-doors where he'd told her to meet him, Topaz got her answer: parked in the R&D Facility's backlot was the biggest tank the sergeant had ever seen.

"Colonel, what is this thing?" she asked as the dingo emerged from the tank's turret to consult with his subordinate. The vehicle was jet black in colour, every panel of armour stamped with the GUN emblem.

"The Helmut Battle Tank," replied Stryker, slapping its armoured hide proudly, reaching down to relieve Topaz of the EMP crate which he then dumped in the turret, "It's going to replace the BIGFOOTs as our main support vehicles. This is the first chance I've had to field-test it."

Suppressing a smirk at the dingo's boyish enthusiasm as he dropped down into the cockpit at the front of the tank, Topaz cursed the pencil skirt once more as she clambered up the side of the vehicle. Negotiating her way to the turret, it suddenly struck the lioness that this engagement with Omega would probably mark the end of her working relationship with Rouge, if not their friendship as well. As much the bat enjoyed the perks of being a GUN agent, she'd forgive Topaz for killing Omega, even if he was a robot. Then again, whilst the lioness had been content to play along with her plan until now, there'd never been any mention of letting loose a killer robot inside GUN HQ. Life would go on.

_SCENE_

Guiding his comrades as far as the corridor upon which the Commander's office was located, Espio realized he was of no further use in his current position. Informing Tekno there was a lobby separating the hallway and the office itself, and that he was detecting two life-signs in the office, he wished the trio the best of luck before abandoning the security hub. Discarding the radio, the canary stopped just outside the lobby entrance, putting down her MP5 and undoing her school uniform's necktie, using it to restrain her loose green locks; Tekno never been fond of ponytails, but with the freedom she'd waited seven years for almost within reach, she didn't want to be thwarted by something as simple as hair getting in her eyes.

"This is it, then?" said Amy as she and Shadow caught up to the canary.

"Not quite," said the black hedgehog, having the youngster prop him up against the wall - Tekno would need back-up when securing the lobby.

"Cheer up, will you," said the pink hedgehog, retrieving a pistol from the backpack and placing in his hand.

"I'll smile when it's over," said Shadow, cocking the pistol.

Placing a kiss on her patient's cheek, Amy joined her old friend outside the office lobby doorway. Nodding as Tekno gestured she would go in first; the pink hedgehog gripped her crossbow with both hands as the canary kicked the door wide open. Tekno moved inside, MP5 braced against her shoulder, seeing nothing save for an empty desk on the far side of the room, just beside the door leading to the office proper.

"Looks like we're clear," said Amy, as she followed the canary inside, "Now what?"

"You get Shadow. I'm gonna' take a look at that door," replied Tekno. Moving to exit the lobby, the pink hedgehog froze as the canary cried out. Wheeling around, Amy saw a sprightly meerkat in GUN pilot overalls stood with an arm around her old friend's neck, the other holding a knife handle protruding from Tekno's lower back. Without thinking, the youngster raised her crossbow and squeezed the trigger, shutting her eyes at the thud the meerkat's body made as it slumped to the floor. Tossing aside her weapon, Amy dived across the room to catch Tekno as she too collapsed to the floor.

"Shadow, get in here!" yelled the youngster as she cradled the canary in her arms, unsure whether she was unconscious or dead, too scared of the latter to check for a pulse. Slowly staggering into the lobby under the weight of his cargo, the black hedgehog's eyes widened as he caught sight of the

"What happened?" he asked, dumping his luggage by the doorway. The late Timo was out of sight, having landed back behind the desk where he'd been hiding.

"She was stabbed."

"Is she alive?"

"I don't know," replied Amy, looking over her shoulder at Shadow. To his amazement, her eyes were dry.

"Get her away from that door," said Shadow, heaving the rocket launcher onto his shoulder. As the youngster dragged Tekno behind the desk, trying not to look at the meerkat, the Ultimate Life Form took up position opposite the Commander's office door. Gritting his teeth against the pain as he dropped to one knee, he fired, vaporizing the door and sending up a thick cloud of smoke and dust.

"You'll probably want this," said Amy as Shadow discarded the spent launcher, kicking a pistol over to him. Picking it up, he looked up to see the pink hedgehog detaching the sledgehammer from ammo backpack.

"You sure don't want to wait-"

"Save it, Shadow, we're finishing this together," said the youngster flatly, striding over to join the black hedgehog, the sledgehammer in her hands. Nodding, Shadow led the way into the lingering haze of smoke and dust, keeping the pistol trained on the now-vacant doorway – not that he expected the Commander and whoever else who was in there to attack through the breach – like Tekno's assailant, they'd probably be waiting in ambush. They would likely both suffer injuries, maybe worse, but right now, it was a chance both hedgehogs were willing to take if it meant ending this vendetta.

As Shadow ventured into the breach, a gunshot rang out. The bullet struck him point-blank in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Amy swung the sledgehammer in retaliation, sending the unseen gunman reeling. Another gunshot rang out, then a cry of anguish as Amy dropped the hammer, clutching her forearm. With a determined roar, the floored Shadow rolled onto his front, grabbed his pistol and emptied it in the direction of the Commander's desk. Tossing the gun aside, the hedgehog rose to his feet, clasping his shoulder as he turned round, seeing Amy crouched in the doorway, binding her gunshot wound with her school uniform necktie. Glancing back the other way, Shadow saw a warthog slumped on the floor; he was dressed in an officer's uniform, but didn't fit the description Rouge had given.

"Shadow," whimpered Amy suddenly. Spinning around as quickly as his legs would permit, the black hedgehog saw Commander Danzarotti standing over the preteen, a pistol pressed against her head, with a second aimed directly at him.

"I never thought I'd sympathize with Robotnik, but you hedgehogs..." growled the leopard, one side of his face swollen where Amy's sledgehammer had struck. Sighing, Shadow glanced down at Amy, who now had tears streaming down her face, mouthing the words "I'm sorry" before closing his eyes, ready to be reunited with Maria.

But the fateful gunshot never came. Hearing someone gasp for air, the black hedgehog's eyes shot open, seeing his would-be executioner drop his guns as he stumbled backward, a knife handle protruding from his chest. As Amy scrambled across the room to embrace him, his scarlet eyes turned to the doorway as Tekno staggered inside the office, one hand clutching her now-open wound as she glanced down at the late Brutus, and then at Shadow, holding his gaze for a few seconds before collapsing once more.

"Thanks, kid," murmured Shadow, stroking Amy's braided quills as the youngster clung to him, her face pressed against his chest-fur as she sobbed uncontrollably. She wasn't aware the knife had been Tekno's, or of the pool of blood now forming under the canary.

"Think we might be needing this," said Espio, appearing at the doorway, the Chaos Emerald in hand. Sliding it across the floor to Shadow, he scooped up the unconscious Tekno in his arms, "What happened to kiddo?"

"Surprise attack, typical GUN," replied the hedgehog, picking up the Emerald, "Omega?"

The chameleon shook his head: "They finished him off – had a good haul, though."

"Can we go please?" Amy piped up, peering up at Shadow.

"Okay," he replied, pressing her face against his chest so she didn't see Tekno's condition.

"This is a hell of a mess we've made," remarked Espio, standing back-to-back with Shadow so he and Tekno were in Chaos Control range.

"They deserved everything they got," growled the Ultimate Life Form as he teleported them to safety.


	13. Part XIII

Disclaimer: I really shouldn't have to keep saying this, but for legal reasons; Shadow, Amy Rose and all other characters herein are property of SEGA and its subsidiaries, and not mine.

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part XIII

Amy kept her face buried in Shadow's thick chest-fur as they escaped GUN's Metropolis headquarters, but the sudden sensation of ice under her bare knees prompted the youngster to her feet. Wiping her eyes of the tears she'd cried after seeing Tekno collapse, she glanced down and was just about able to make out the frozen grass beneath their feet. Looking up at Shadow, himself barely visible in the pitch-darkness.

"We in New Tek?" she asked. The black hedgehog nodded.

"Ah," said Amy; that explained why it was night all of a sudden. Then, Shadow's legs gave way. Amy flung her arms around him in an attempt to support the hedgehog, but the strain proved too great for the arm she'd been shot in, and reluctantly, she let the Ultimate Life Form slip from her embrace, onto the icy ground.

"Amy!" yelled Espio, frightening the life out of the preteen as he ran over to the hedgehogs, carrying the unconscious Tekno in his arms, "Take Tekno, get her inside."

"What about Shadow?" asked Amy, panicked by his sudden collapse.

"Leave him to me," said the chameleon. After a moment's hesitation, and a quick glance down at her friend's limp form, the youngster conceded, allowing Espio to carefully transfer the wounded canary into her outstretched arms, "Now go, some of the medical stuff Sally gave us is still up there."

With a quick nod, Amy dashed her wounded friend inside, the frozen grass crunching underfoot – under other circumstances, she wouldn't have dreamed of leaving her newfound friend's side, especially not since the late Commander Danzarotti had put two bullets in his shoulder, but fatigue had begun to catch up with her – besides, it wasn't like Espio hadn't proven himself trustworthy. Meanwhile, the chameleon had taken the opportunity for a momentary respite, inhaling deeply the cold winter air as he stretched his arms, the muscles of which were fast beginning to stiffen. Looking down at the fallen Shadow, the chameleon sighed; it seemed even being the only one to escape injury wasn't without its disadvantages. Hooking an arm under each of the black hedgehog's shoulders, Espio dragged the limp body across the icy lawn toward the safehouse.

"Almost there," wheezed the chameleon, uncertain of whether his comrade was still conscious as they passed through the empty front doorway, lacking a door thanks to Emerl. Looking over his shoulder, Espio saw no sign of the girls in the ransacked lounge. Obviously Amy had favoured the bed for Tekno, leaving Shadow the battered old sofa, which had actually mostly survived Jet's assault on the safehouse, besides having its cushions detonated by sniper fire. En route toward it, Espio felt a sudden warmth against the magenta scales on his left arm. Shadow's blood, presumably. Not the best omen.

Heaving the Ultimate Life Form onto the sofa, the chameleon muttered something to the effect of "now don't go away" (Shadow couldn't quite make it out) before he disappeared up the creaky staircase. Alone at last, Shadow fought the combined forces of exhaustion and blood loss to open his heavy eyelids. In the darkness of the safehouse's lounge, illuminated only by the faint moonlight, his scarlet eyes could see nothing but the silvery glint of pistol lying discarded at the foot of the stairs. The black hedgehog's eyes widened in alarm; this was bad. Spurred on by another burst of adrenalin, Shadow rolled off the sofa, landing flat on his face with a grunt. Ignoring the pain pulsating from both his shoulder and his nose, Shadow dragged himself across the wooden floor in the direction of the stairs, undeterred even by the freezing temperature. Grabbing the pistol once it was within reach, he rolled leftward as far as the front door where, stretching his arm out in front of him, and resting his gun on the threshold, he squinted intensely down the pistol's sights. Then, mindful that Espio would be back down any second, he squeezed the trigger.

The Chaos Emerald, laying out on lawn where he'd dropped it when he collapsed, exploded in a flash of blue light as the bullet penetrated its glass-like exterior, sending a fountain of a thousand shards, still fizzling with Chaos energy, in every direction across the safehouse's front yard. He hadn't thought to ask how it had come into Rouge's possession, after she'd strived so long and hard to obtain one without success during Robotnik's era, but now neither she nor Knuckles, its erstwhile keeper, would ever see it again, and rather more importantly to him, the Emerald trackers Rouge had handed out to GUN and Jet were now useless. After four tumultuous days, Shadow was once again safe from detection. With a heavy sigh, the pistol slipped from his grasp as he finally succumbed to fatigue, his last reserves of adrenalin spent.

For the next few hours, everything went blank – a pleasant, dreamless sleep – a rare treat for him. That was however until a sharp stabbing pain in his shoulder awoke the Ultimate Life Form with an ear-splitting roar.

"Did I press a little hard?" asked Espio, gazing down at the now-conscious hedgehog.

"No shit," growled Shadow, glaring up at the chameleon. He was back on the battered sofa, the room now lit by the morning sun, and for some reason Espio straddling his stomach, a polished scalpel in his hand, "What are you doing?"

"Amy recalled a certain late Commander putting two bullets in your shoulder. Seemed like a good idea to maybe dig them out."

"Whilst I'm asleep?"

"Well in the absence of any anaesthetic," countered the chameleon, "Besides, Amy said it went fine for her taking that bullet out of your leg that time. Must have a more delicate touch."

"Where is she, anyway?"

"Passed out upstairs with Tekno."

"How's the kid?"

"Alive, for now. We stopped the bleeding at least. I'm reluctant to do anything else until your guardian angel wakes up, not now you've gone and blown up our best way of getting her to a hospital."

Shadow sighed: "There was a very good reason for that."

"Don't worry, I remember," Espio assured him, "Just means I'll have to go in search of car so we can drive her into New Tek. Now, mind if I give this another go."

"Do what you must," groaned Shadow, gritting his teeth as he relaxed his shoulder in submission, closing his eyes to keep them off the scalpel; even he wasn't immune to squeamishness. As he felt the blade enter his wound, the hedgehog tensed, locking his jaw to prevent another roar as Espio extracted the Commander's first bullet. After almost a minute, the ninja withdrew his blade.

"You all right down there?" asked the chameleon as pressed a fistful of material to the newly-opened wound.

"Just about," wheezed Shadow between deep breaths, "Get the second one out."

"You sure?"

"Just finish it," growled the hedgehog. The next few minutes proved more excruciating than anything Shadow had endured throughout this entire ordeal. His locked jaw soon gave out, leaving him free to grunt and roar as Espio tried to tease out the deeply-lodged bullet. Once both bullets were in his palm, the chameleon moved straight away to dress the wounds, and stem the latest blood flow. He was impressed his comrade had anything to bleed, the amount of damage he'd sustained; the Ultimate Life Form indeed.

With the wound bandaged, Espio gave Shadow sole custody of the sofa, shifting over to perch on the far armrest: "So, what happens next?"

"Sorry?"

"Now we've killed the bad guys, what do you do next?"

Shadow looked up at his comrade, bemused. He really hadn't had a chance to think about it, the midst of everything else. Espio smirked; the response was hardly a surprise.

"Why the sudden interest?" asked the hedgehog, still miffed.

"I was just wondering, now you've actually defeated the guys who've been after you for the-"

"We haven't _defeated _anyone," interrupted Shadow.

"Perhaps not, but judging by what I heard in that control room, I can safely say we won't be hearing from GUN any time soon."

"Oon't underestimate them," warned the hedgehog.

"I won't, but back to you, where do you plan on resting up while everything heals, now your Emerald's gone?"

Again, Shadow didn't respond: "Are you going somewhere with this?"

"Perhaps," replied Espio.

"Need I remind you I've lost more blood in four days than most Mobians do in a lifetime? Just spit it out."

"Fair point," the chameleon conceded, "If I must tell you, there's a young girl upstairs, on the cusp of her teenage years, who in the last couple of days has lost just about everyone of importance in her life."

"She has Sally, doesn't she?" said Shadow, recalling with a shudder his encounters with the former Princess.

"I suppose, when she's not off looking after the several hundred kids whose parents pay her to do so, or indeed just about every other ex-resident of Knothole."

"What about Tekno?"

"Did she happen to mention the fact that until maybe yesterday, Amy thought the kid had been dead for seven years? And now Vanilla's gone and Sonic's dumped her, she's got no one."

"So you're suggesting what, exactly?"

Espio took a moment to massage his temples, wondering how it was possible for the Ultimate Life Form to be so dense: "That you be her someone, at least until your legs work again."

The black hedgehog gazed blankly at his comrade for a few moments: "You're serious?"

"I'm sorry, is there some fatal flaw in my logic here?"

"I just killed the GUN Commander. His successors are going to come looking for me the moment they're back on their feet."

"Interesting point. But try to remember, firstly, you weren't the one who actually killed him," said Espio, glancing upwards as he spoke, "And secondly, that whole raid just now was a team effort, we're _all _going to be wanted by GUN now, so if GUN ever go knocking on Miss Rose's door, the odds of her surviving will be greatly improved if you're there to help her. You might be preparing to come back at me with some speech about you being guilty for that, but it wasn't like she showed any reluctance about helping you. Face it, hardnut, you owe that girl, and from what I can see, she's not planning to ask for payment, so have some integrity and at least _think_ about what I'm suggesting."

"I'll think it over," said Shadow, still digesting the chameleon's words. He had never expected to get quite so berated by the guy who'd so willingly helped keep him alive, but it was hard not to see his point. The question was, could he at last permit himself to lay down roots in one place for a time, even in his battered state.

"Do," said Espio, his expression stern.

"Still alive, baby?" asked an all-too-familiar voice from the far side of the room. His eyes widening, pen-mouthed Shadow looked over to see Rouge, garbed in her signature black catsuit and heart-shaped bodice, stepping through the empty doorway, followed by Jet the Hawk, himself flanked by Emerl and an unmasked Shade.

"We come in peace, I assure you," said Jet, noticing Espio jump to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing here?" growled Shadow, staring daggers at Rouge.

"I'll explain everything in a minute," said the bat, shrugging off the hostile reception as she looked around, "Where's Tekno?"

"Upstairs, unconscious," replied Espio.

Rouge's jade eyes widened: "Is she okay?"

"Hard to say. She took a knife in the back," said the chameleon. Almost white with shock, the bat looked to Jet. He nodded.

"Emerl, tell Wave and Storm we'll be needing sickbay," ordered the hawk, "Shade, get the girl, you know this place well enough."

"Espio, go with her!" yelled Shadow, mindful of how Amy's last encounter with the mysterious echidna had gone. As the chameleon complied, the sofa-bound hedgehog looked to Jet, "I imagine you brought transportation?"

"My airship's just outside," replied the hawk in assurance. Nodding, Shadow turned to Rouge as she drew nearer.

"Need a hand there?" she asked.

"How did you even find us?" he said in reply.

"Look, I'll explain everything once we're airbourne," said Rouge, offering him her hand. Grudgingly, he accepted.

"You better had," said Shadow, staggering to his feet, "Or you won't live to see tomorrow."


	14. Part XIV

Disclaimer: I really shouldn't have to keep saying this, but for legal reasons; Shadow, Amy Rose and all other characters herein are property of SEGA and its subsidiaries, and not mine.

* * *

Inescapable Past  
Part XIV

As her companions 'greeted' their unexpected visitors, Amy remained blissfully unaware, still curled up fast asleep in the safehouse's bedroom, sharing the solitary mattress with the unconscious Tekno, to whom she was cuddled up to for the sake of warmth, now she'd been reduced to her undergarments once again; she'd had to sacrifice what remained of her school uniform to absorb the blood from Tekno's now-bandaged stab wound. Unfortunately, Espio had deemed Shadow's latest injuries in more urgent need of treatment, and the youngster had been much too exhausted to do anything more herself, so her own wound, where the late GUN Commander had shot her in the forearm, remained bandaged only with the red necktie off her school uniform.

Suddenly, Amy felt Tekno escape from her embrace. Thinking her friend had finally awoken, she opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of Shade, the mysterious echidna she'd narrowly prevented from beheading Shadow in this very room, looming over her, the unconscious canary in her arms. Unfazed by the astonishment on the youngster's face, Shade turned away towards the door. Feeling a surge of adrenalin, Amy jumped to her feet, diving for one of the pistols Shadow had left strewn about the place.

"Put her down!" yelled the pink hedgehog as she rose to her feet, gun in hand, its barrel pointed at the echidna. Shade stopped, glanced over her shoulder for a moment, but then continued on towards the bedroom's doorway. Amy's eyes widened, incredulous as to how the echidna could so coolly dismiss the threat of a bullet in her back, "I said put her-"

"Amy, drop the gun!" interrupted Espio as came charging into the room, barging past Shade en route to confronting the youngster.

"But she's taking Tekno!" retorted Amy, keeping the gun raised, her eyes fixed on her still-moving target. Back at GUN's headquarters, after she'd killed the meerkat who'd stabbed Tekno, the preteen had sworn never to kill another living thing as she'd stared at her victim's lifeless body, but if safeguarding Tekno's newfound freedom meant breaking that oath, she was prepared to do so.

"I know she is, but this is more complicated than that," said the chameleon, his golden eyes glaring at the hedgehog.

"What are you talking about?" said the youngster, her eyes flicking back and forth between Espio and the still-retreating Shade, who was now almost at the stairs.

"We're not completely sure yet, but believe me when I say Tekno's not in danger."

"I'm sorry, Espio," whispered Amy, tears welling in her eyes as she squeezed the pistol's trigger, squeaking in pain as the force on the recoil stung her injured forearm, forcing the gun from her grasp. Downstairs, where Jet, Shadow and Rouge had been listening intently to the heated exchange, all three flinched at the noise of the gunshot.

"I thought you said your people weren't armed," growled Shadow as he shot Jet a glare.

"They aren't," replied the hawk, meeting the black hedgehog's glare.

"You tried to kill us on GUN's behalf once before, didn't you?"

"Spare us your paranoia, hedgehog," spat Jet as he ran for the stairs, leaving Rouge to placate his accuser as he sprinted upstairs. Reaching the landing, the hawk's eyes widened as he surveyed the scene before him. Shade was lying face down on the dusty floorboards, slumped over the comatose Tekno, a small rivulet of blood trickling out of a hole in her armour near her neck.

Kneeling at the echidna's side to ascertain if she was still alive, Jet was distracted by the sound of muffled sobs emanating from the bedroom. Looking up, he saw Espio sat on a mattress, holding Amy in his arms as she wept. On the floor in front of them lay a gun, ribbons of smoke rising from its muzzle; that answered the question of who'd shot who. Inserting two fingers under the collar of Shade's armour, the hawk breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her neck gently pulse. Taking his henchwoman in his arms, the leader of the Babylon Rogues creaked his way downstairs, where he was immediately accosted by Rouge, who'd sat Shadow down on the battered sofa.

"What's happened?" asked the bat, alarmed by the sight of Shade's limp form.

"The kid shot her."

"Do you know why?"

"She didn't seem in a fit state to explain. I'm thinking Shade just marched in unannounced. We'll still be taking them with us,, so don't ."

"Is Tekno okay?"

"Didn't stop to check," said Jet, "Anyway, I'm taking this one to Wave. Bring them up when they're ready. We've prepped them the cabin down the hall from yours for them."

"Is that still a good idea?" asked Rouge nervously, "I haven't told them what's happening with Tekno yet, but if that's the reason Amy shot Shade..."

"Then make sure they don't bring any weapons onboard with them," snapped her boss raising his voice before pushing past the bat on his way out the door. Watching the hawk cross the frozen lawn to the airship's anti-grav lift, where Storm stood waiting, Rouge gnawed her lower lip as she pondered how Amy might greet the news she'd eventually have to give them regarding her long-lost friend.

"There a reason he just shouted at you?" called Shadow, interrupting the bat's reverie.

"Just worried about Shade," replied Rouge as she joined the black hedgehog on the sofa.

"So she's alive?"

"For now."

"Did he say it was Amy who fired the gun?"

Rouge nodded. Shadow sighed; he was beginning to regret ever dropping himself on the youngster's doorstep. Sure, she'd shown him sympathy back on the clifftop, but in the last few days, she'd risked her life for him, had been shot, had had a gun held to her head, even after discovering a close friend had suddenly died. She hadn't killed for him at least, like she had in Tekno's name, but their bond went back much farther than his and Amy's, which had been almost nonexistent before this ordeal had been set into motion. Espio had said quite plainly the best way he could show his gratitude was to stay with the youngster, and be there to support her through the rough times ahead, what with Vanilla's funeral on the horizon, and presumably helping Tekno re-adjust to life outside the walls of Robotnik's citadel, but was that really the wisest course of action? Surely GUN would be hunting for him harder than ever, now that they'd killed both the Commander and Vice Commander, not to mention the horde of troopers Omega must've taken down.

"So when do we see this airship?" he asked Rouge, eager to avoid brooding too deeply for once.

"Whenever your pals come down those stairs."

"I guess that gives you a chance to answer a few questions in the meantime," said Shadow. Rouge sighed: she'd half-convinced herself the shooting of Shade would've diverted the Ultimate Life Form's mind elsewhere, but she'd forgotten how doggedly persistent he could be.

"Go on then."

"How the hell did you find us here? I destroyed the Emerald you gave me."

"Haven't you been wondering how GUN knew where to find you when they blew up your bike, or how I knew where you were?" asked Rouge. Shadow could only stare blankly at her as he pondered how such a key question could've slipped his mind; maybe the blood loss was to blame.

Rouge smirked: "Remember when I told you I had GUN under the illusion the Emerald tracker I gave them was able to detect your DNA?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it wasn't a complete lie. _Their_ tracker can't pick up your DNA signature, but there is one that can."

"And how did that device come to exist?"

"One of the DNA samples from Professor Gerald's labs on ARK. Tekno did the rest."

"How did she-?"

Rouge shrugged: "The kid's a real prodigy. You can see what Robotnik wanted with her."

"She worked for Robotnik?"

"Didn't she tell you? That's why GUN wanted her. She's the reason the good doctor's whole army changed after the Death Egg thing."

"The Death Egg?"

"Never mind," said the bat, sighing at her forgetfulness. Shadow would've still been in stasis on Prison Island during the Death Egg incident, "All you really need to know is Tekno worked as a prisoner in Robotnik's weapons lab for five years. That's why she was hiding out."

"If she was in the citadel whilst the battle was going on, how did she not get captured with the doctor?"

"I got her out."

"How?"

"Through the sewers, with a very well-paid guide."

"I take it GUN didn't bankroll that one."

"All my own money."

"I'm impressed, I must say."

"Don't give me that," countered the bat, "Just because I'm a thief doesn't mean greed dictate _everything_ I do."

"Guess not," muttered Shadow, perking up as he heard a creak, and then another. Looking up at the staircase, he and Rouge watched whilst Espio trod carefully down the stairs, bearing Tekno in his arms, with Amy following a few steps behind. Promptly jumping to her feet, Rouge heaved the black hedgehog off the sofa, and was forced to drag him over to the meet the others as he'd now lost all feeling in his feet.

"Is Tekno okay?" asked the bat as Espio descended the last stair.

"We were going to ask the same thing about Shade," said the chameleon, presenting the canary's head for Rouge to inspect. Feeling the comatose youngster's neck with a slender finger, she breathed a sigh of relief: Tekno was still alive, which meant so would she beyond today. Meanwhile, a few seconds looking at Amy as she walked slowly downstairs had been enough to put a frown on Shadow's face. In the absence of her hairband, the way she had her head bowed meant a curtain of braided quills now covered most of her face, and that was something Maria only ever used to do when she was particularly upset. This didn't bode well.

"You can find out when we're on the airship. Follow me," said Rouge, nodding toward the door before stepping out into the cold. As the party crossed the frozen lawn, Shadow heard Amy's muffled sniffles amid the noise of frost crunching under his companions' feet. He would've glanced over his shoulder, if only to see whether she was still walking with her shoulders hunched, but his strength levels had now dipped to the point where it was a struggle to keep his head raised high to enough to see where he was going.

Up ahead, in the shadow of the Babylon Rogues' airship hovering above the yard, stood the imposing figure of Storm, leaning on the railing of a silver platform: the airship's grav-lift, formerly used for shifting the Rogues' heavier loot, but nowadays only bore more mundane cargo since Jet and company had gone into business. As the party reached the grav-lift, Rouge was quick to transfer the burden of Shadow to the albatross, who heaved the Ultimate Life Form onto the lift, whilst the bat took custody of Tekno from Espio, leaving the chameleon to tend to Amy, who'd stopped in her tracks a few feet away. Looking at the youngster, who still had her shoulders hunched and head stooped, Espio sighed: he was adept at handling many varied situations, but consoling a preteen was something he felt very uncertain about. Unlike Shadow, who'd grown up with Maria, his experience of upset children didn't extend beyond kids Charmy's age, and even then, Vector had shouldered most of the parental responsibilities.

"How are you feeling?" asked the chameleon.

"Freezing," said the youngster.

"Then let's get you onboard."

"Are you sure they'll even let me on?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"I shot one of their friends, didn't I?"

"You two, what's the hold-up?" called an impatient Storm from aboard the grav-lift. Turning his head, Espio gestured for them to give him a few moments.

"It doesn't look like Jet's given any orders to leave you behind," said the chameleon as he turned back to Amy. After a moment's hesitation, Espio cautiously leaned in, pushing aside the curtain of braided quills covering her harlequin-green eyes, "What do you say we go and see the old hard-nut?"

Feeling a small jolt of energy for reasons she couldn't quite understand, Amy whisked past Espio, leapt onto the grav-lift and pounced on Shadow, knocking him flat on his back as she wrapped her arms around his midriff, her injury and melancholy momentarily forgotten as she nestled her face in his thicket of chest-fur. Understandably startled by the sudden takedown, the black hedgehog could only peer down at his guardian angel, and let a small smile flicker on his face at the lift simply seeing him alive seemed to have given the youngster. Perhaps Espio's suggestion wasn't so ludicrous after all. Meanwhile, Storm had given the word for Jet to start raising the grav-lift, and as they climbed skyward, Shadow looked down on the safehouse for what was probably the last time. The old place had served him well, but with his Chaos Emerald gone and those that remained safely in Knuckles' possession, it was no longer a feasible hideaway, and besides, maybe it was time he gave normal society a try.

"You took your time," said Jet as the grav-lift passed through a hole in the airship's hull and touched down.

"Kid troubles," said Rouge in a low voice as she stepped off the platform, still carrying Tekno.

"I see. Do we know why she's still half-naked?" asked the hawk, also in a low tone.

"I didn't think to ask."

"Probably best."

"No surprise firing squads then?" interjected Espio as he joined the pair on the deck of the cargo bay whilst Storm helped Amy get Shadow upright.

"Shadow also thought we might be here on GUN's behalf," replied Jet.

"You sound like you thought he was being irrational, suspecting such a thing," said the chameleon.

"Like I told him at the time, my reasons for assisting their operation were purely business-related."

"So what about this time?"

"Honouring an agreement."

"With who?"

"That's not for me to say," said Jet, turning away from the chameleon as Storm and the hedgehogs joined them. Raising an eyebrow at the Rogue leader's coyness, Espio looked to Rouge, who shook her head.

"Welcome aboard the _Babylon Rogue_, Shadow. Are you satisfied we aren't conspiring with GUN yet?"

"Thus far," replied the black hedgehog.

"Well I'm sure my new associate will be able to clear up any lingering doubts. Storm, would you kindly escort Miss Rose and her unconscious friend to the sickbay," said the hawk, gesturing for Rouge to give the albatross custody of Tekno.

"I'd prefer to stay with her," said the bat, gazing down at the comatose canary in her arms.

"But then who will show our guest to his cabin?"

"I'm sure if you directed us, we could-" began Espio.

"The offer is appreciated, but I'd [prefer it if you wuld accompany Miss Rose to sickbay, lest we experience another incident. Besides, I'm sure there are a number of questions your companion has for Rouge, so it wouldn't make sense to deny him the pleasure of having them answered."

If looks could kill, Jet would've dropped dead there and then as Rouge reluctantly surrendered custody of Tekno to Storm, and once Amy had planted a farewell kiss on the Ultimate Life Form's cheek, she was led away to cargo bay's elevator.

"Now, Rouge, please show our guest to his quarters, and Shadow, if my associate gets at all coy about answering any questions you may have, be sure to let me know."

And with that, Jet turned heel and disappeared amongst the stacks of steel crates that littered the cavernous cargo bay. Then, Rouge moved herself and Shadow slowly towards the elevator Storm's party had just used. A minute or two later, the doors rolled open, and she set the hedgehog down for the ride up to their level. Watching the bat as she keyed in her clearance codes, Shadow chuckled to himself.

"What's funny?" asked Rouge as she got the elevator going.

"I never thought I'd see the day you take orders so obediently."

"Yes, well, my circumstances have changed somewhat in that regard."

"What do you mean?"

"Basically, Jet's now my boss. Orders are just a fact of the job."

"What happened to GUN?"

"An emergency career move."

"What prompted it?"

"Your little gang's visit to the GUN Commander's office yesterday."

"How? Surely that just upped the bounty on our heads."

"Not exactly," said Rouge, "To be honest, I'm pretty sure most of GUN were glad to see that leopard go. Rumour had it even the troopers who raided your pal's apartment weren't sure why they were Shadow-hunting again after you and the old man kissed and made up."

"What's any of this got to do with you changing sides?"

"Did Omega happen to tell you how he came to be in Tekno's lab?"

"Not explicitly."

"Well that's just it. After that GUN strike team neutralized him, Topaz was kind enough to help me locate his wreck and shift him to the Emerald Hill. Before you turned up at the old base, only she, myself and Tekno knew that Omega wasn't still rusting in pieces somewhere in Westopolis."

"So?" asked the black hedgehog as a beep sounded, and the elevator doors parted.

"The fact Omega was part of your attack means Topaz will know that I in some way helped you do it," explained the bat as she heaved Shadow onto his feet, bracing his left arm round her shoulders before proceeding out of the elevator.

"Which now puts you at the top of their most wanted list?"

"Almost definitely, hence the change of employer."

"So how did you persuade Jet to take in Mobius' newest fugitive?"

"Well, there _would _have been a Chaos Emerald in it for him, had you not seen to that. The hawk's crazy for antiques."

"And in the absence of an Emerald?"

"I had information I could offer him. He's been looking into setting up a private security firm to compete with GUN. With the personnel files I was able to give him, he'll know just how much to offer GUN's better troopers to beat their current salaries."

"Not that that's not information he could've just bribed any lowly-ranked officer for. Surely you had something more to offer him," the black hedgehog persisted. Rouge sighed, silently cursing her obligation to answer every question she was asked as they came to the cabin Jet had prepared for Shadow and company. Depositing her burden on the cabin's only bed, she collapsed onto the small couch opposite.

"If you must know, I offered him Tekno," said the bat between deep breaths, exhausted by the day's unexpected exertions. It'd been a long time since her last burglary.

"What do you mean 'offered'?" asked Shadow, sitting up.

"Her inventions have great commercial potential."

"That doesn't answer my question," growled the black hedgehog.

"She means she's just completed the process of transferring the canary from one life of slavery to another," said Espio as he appeared in the cabin doorway, startling both the room's occupants.

"How long have you been following us?" asked Shadow, narrowing his eyelids at the chameleon.

"I was in the elevator the whole time. Storm didn't seem to notice."

"He wouldn't," groaned Rouge, "But Tekno _isn't_ going to be Jet's slave."

"Does that mean she'll have a choice about whether she works for him or not?" asked Espio, leaning back against the wall.

"...she'll understand when I explain it was my life on the line."

"I hope so, for your sake," said the chameleon sternly.

"Is that all you have to say?" exclaimed Shadow, glaring at Espio.

"What more is there to say? I realize Amy might have gotten it into her head that Tekno would come back to Station Square with us, and they'd just pick up where they left off five years ago, but we're not even sure the canary will even wake up, let alone be able to just slip back into living a normal life. She puts a brave face on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were some real trauma there, Shadow. Better she's with a familiar face like Rouge than surrounded by complete strangers, no matter how well-meaning we all can be."

Shadow's unblinking scarlet eyes remained fixed on the chameleon for several seconds, burning with a fury he was much too exhausted to express physically. Only a fool could fail to see that the ninja-turned-detective had a point, but that wouldn't make it any easier for his guardian angel to accept: "Good luck persuading Amy."

Then, all conversation ceased, replaced by a brooding silence as the cabin's three occupants pondered Shadow's last statement: just how would Amy take the news that her reunion with Tekno was to be cut short? On top of that, there was the question of who would be the one to tell the preteen? Shadow and Espio both knew that simply not telling her about it wasn't an option in this instance, and they'd just look bad when the time to disembark came. Soon enough, a knock on the cabin door heralded the youngster's return. Espio opened the door, and in the pink hedgehog walked, still in just her underwear, with her wounded arm bandaged and held in a sling suspended from her neck.

"Didn't Wave give you anything to wear?" asked Rouge as Amy perched on the cabin's bed beside the slouched Shadow.

"She was too busy with Tekno," replied the youngster, shaking her head.

"I'll go get you something," said the bat, bolting off the couch and out the door before Espio could block her path. The chameleon cussed under his breath as he closed the door.

"How's Tekno?" asked Shadow.

"I dunno. They have her hooked up to one of those ventilators, but her heart rate's steady."

"And Shade?" queried Espio.

"Alive," replied the preteen, her cheeks flushing. In the aftermath of shooting Shade, she'd renewed her to never endanger another Mobian's life so long as someone dear to her wasn't in danger. Hopefully GUN would have the good sense to keep their distance.

"Good," said the chameleon, "Now Amy, there's something you need to know. It's about Tekno."

As the ninja spoke, Shadow looked up instantaneously, and glared at Espio, but his comrade ignored the scarlet eyes. By his reckoning, it was better if he was the one to inform Amy about the situation with Tekno's future, lest the youngster get the impression that just because Shadow wasn't trying to do anything about it didn't mean he condoned what Rouge had done; the last thing he wanted was to see pink hedgehog's trust in her newfound friend shaken.

"What about her?"

"Tekno won't be coming with us when we got off at Station Square."

"Why not?"

"Based on what Rouge has told us, its part of a deal she made with Jet. The main reason they came to pick us up was to collect Tekno."

"And what, you're not going to try and do something about it?"

"What _can_ we do? Old hard-nut there can't even stand, and Storm is too big for even me to bring down unarmed. We just have to accept that this is how it is for now – there's nothing we can do for her."

Amy sat in silence, holding Espio's gaze as her mind floundered about, trying to find something to say back to her companion's brazen declaration of their powerlessness to alter the current course of events. But no words were forthcoming. Looking on as his guardian angel lowered her head in defeat, Shadow put an arm round the pink hedgehog's shoulders and pulled her into a consoling embrace , pressing her head firmly against his thick chest-fur as they fell back onto the bed.

"Just wait 'til I'm back on my feet, then we can see about rescuing her," whispered the black hedgehog.

Pulling her face away from his chest, the preteen peered up at him: "Does that mean you'll be staying?"

"So long as you'll have me."

The transformation that took place in Amy was nowhere near as drastic as when she'd boarded the lift earlier, but Shadow's promise was enough to restore a glimmer of brightness to her harlequin-green eyes as she gazed up at her future houseguest. Then, the stillness of the cabin was broken as the door opened and Rouge entered, her stiletto heels clacking on the polished metal floor.

"This was all I could find that would fit," said the bat as the pink hedgehog sat up, referring to the violet trenchcoat in her arms. Getting up off the bed, Amy silently accepted the coat before striking Rouge across the face with an open palm, the force of the blow knocking the former GUN agent to her knees.

"That's for Tekno," said the preteen as she turned back towards the bed.


End file.
